The Red Herring
by a singularity in the milky way
Summary: "People'd be better up if I locked myself in a closet." With that attitude, Crown Prince Michael is to revive an old, stupid tradition to find a wife. Not that he wants to, not that anyone cares about that. Because terrorists threaten Illéa's peace, he has to distract his people with finding a wife.
1. Story of My Life

**1**

 **Story of My Life**

It was just another day, Michael thought when he was glaring towards the blue sky above Angeles. The crown prince stood in the gardens nearby the lake, glazing at the water with empty eyes. It was just another day, he reminded himself. Except that everything was different.

"Your Highness." Sam stepped by his side.  
"Don't call me that, Sam."  
"But it _is_ your title, Mike."  
"Details." Michael shrugged.  
"Is it the news that broke through today or the old story that is making you glare here in melancholy."  
"What news?" The blonde looked up to his friend.  
"You did not hear yet?"  
"No, of course not, so tell me."

Samuel Jones, his best friend, sighed and glazed over to the swans too. He clearly did not want to be the bearer of the news he was about to break to him. But as the crown prince's closest friend, Greene had sent him.

"The info leaked."  
"That is just as helpful as saying "the news that broke today", Sam." Michael remarked annoyed.  
"About the Selection, duh."  
Michael glared to him, and sighed. "You are kidding me."  
"No, I am not."  
"Terrible enough that father agreed to the 'Bachelor ft. Illéan crown'. Now the press got the info before the official point and me? I get to deal with the journalists." He complained.  
"You did agree terribly fast though."  
"Greene and father were discussing making it law. That the consort has to be selected by a Selection. I had no choice."  
"I googled a bit." Sam added. "Apparently Queen Eadlyn wasn't a great fan of the idea either, and she ended up happy."  
"How do you end up happy if you're nothing but a celebrity because you're someone's kid?"  
"Ask your dad?"  
"His wife died two months ago."

Yes, Queen Charlotte passed away only two months ago. Just like so many other people. Michael had visited the flowers in front of the parliament. The photos of the innocent people who passed away in a terrible terrorist attack, they had brought tears to his eyes.

Roses – white like the innocence, the queen had symbolised. Beloved by the people, admired by the court and his mother. He had been there, almost by her side. She had seen how she, the Queen of Illéa – married to a man whose ancestors once had ruled the people in terrible ways – had thrown herself in front of the prime minister, to protect the man elected by the people to rule the country. A sacrifice without any meaning for he died too.

"Exactly. It has been two months, and you are still in mourning."  
"My mother died!" Michael cried out.  
"Yes, and your country is scared and afraid of these terrorists."  
"What am _I_ meant to do?" The crown prince called.  
"Encourage them, like your mother did."  
"They want Emmy on the throne either way – why bother?"

Silence. Yes, certainly, the people wanted to see his younger sister on the throne. Princess Emilia was so much more liked by the people of Illéa. The beautiful, intelligent, loving angel of a princess was so much more liked compared to her brother who nearly failed a school grade and preferred to hang around with his friends and discuss sport. Too bad she was in a coma since the terrorist attack at the opening of parliament. Too bad he wasn't a fairy tale prince. He wasn't the kind of dream fantasy, the people wanted to see from the monarchy.

But right now, it was more of a tragedy either way.

"So, father sent you to tell me to prepare for the reporters?" Michael switched back to the Selection.  
"Greene did, actually."  
"Sounds like him. Too afraid to do anything."  
"He wasn't elected by the people and he stands in the steps of Stark."

John Greene was Alexander Stark's successor, the current prime minister of Illéa. People didn't like him as much as Stark – he had been beloved for saving Illéa from an economic crisis after the Germans increased the prices of their exports – exports that were necessary for Illéa. And he was Sam's uncle.

"The Germans toy with us, still." Sam remarked.  
"I don't care about politics."  
"If you did, people'd like you more."  
"People tell me not to have political opinions."  
"It is a small difference. Do not care but do care." Sam added.  
"You have no idea about my life." Michael shook his head.  
"Oh, I do. I do. You've been crying about it for years, Mike." Sam laughed.  
"Goddamn line of succession."

Michael kneed down and gently pet his dog who was lazily lying by his feet. Samuel had a point. He had been his best friend for years, and he always listened when he complained about his life.

"Your Highness. Mr. Jones." A butler of the palace stood behind them, causing the two friends to turn around. "His Majesty requires your presence, Your Highness."

Michael nodded, dismissed the butler and briefly bid his friend good-bye. Summer holidays wouldn't last forever, and soon, he'd be back studying at university. One of the things, the prince could have had – if it wasn't for his terrible school results. He, alongside his dog, a German Sheppard named Rock, left for his father's office.

 *** . * . ***

King Richard II was glaring at the fire in his office when Michael entered and briefly bowed. Wordless, he waved him to come closer. Richard was a good man and a good king, but nothing special, as Samuel tended to describe him. Just an avid fan of football, but otherwise? A private man, committed to his duties and family. Unfortunately, Michael wasn't a fan of competitive sports at all, and the two were certainly not very close. There were days when they didn't even talk.

"You wished to speak with me, father?"  
"Yes, yes. Did Samuel tell you?"  
"About the leak? Yes. How did it happen though?"  
"God knows, I don't care much either." Richard waved it off. "The official press release was published this afternoon. Can't have rumours flooding around."  
"Yes, father."  
"I decided to discuss this in person with you, rather than have you talk to the people who are actually having more of an idea of this, because I know that you are not too happy about this."  
"Surprise, surprise."  
"There are thirty-five girls, Michael. One of them has to be good enough."  
Michael shrugged as response.  
"Tomorrow, you will hold a press conference." Richard added. "Better start preparing. Silvestre is here to discuss further things with you."  
"Alright, father."  
"And, Michael?"  
"Hm?"  
"Thirty-five girls who just want their fairy tale. You'll have fun."

Both of them shared a brief but awkward laugh. Michael knew that his father disliked Michael's love for night life. Richard knew that Michael did not want to be king and wanted no queen.

Silvestre Lorde was in charge of the press of the palace and the royal family, and a good friend of his mother. After briefing him about the nature of the leak itself and the information (pretty much everything) and further information he might need, it was question time. He only had two.  
"What if they ask about mother, or Emmy?" They absolutely would.  
"Don't comment anything."  
"What if they ask about the Red Herring?" The terrorists who had planted a bomb and taken his mother. Among other crimes and attacks.  
"Don't comment anything."  
"Just another press conference, then?"  
"Exactly, your highness."

* * *

 _ **The Red Herring Cast**_

 **Michael 'Mike' Schreave** , Crown prince.  
 **Emilia 'Emmy' Schreave** , Michael's younger sister  
 **Richard II Schreave** , King  
 **Charlotte Schreave** , late Queen  
 **Silvestre Lorde** , Palace press secretary  
 **Scarlet Hunter** , journalist  
 **John Greene** , prime minister  
 **Alexander Stark** , previous (dead) prime minister  
 **Samuel Jones** , Mike's best friend  
 **Dr Jason Reynolds** , Rho's brother

 **Rihanna Lorde** , Selected from Angeles  
 **Cecilia Stark** , Selected from Likely  
 **Mayli Yi** , Selected from Atlin  
 **Isadora "Isa" Bonovich** , Selected from Clermont by MoonChild129  
 **Rhosyn "Rho" Reynolds** , Selected from Honduras by Celegra123  
 **Katherine "Kath" Rhodes** , Selected from Dominica by Dr Kay Strange  
 **Tatiana "Tate" Loveren** , Selected from Paloma by tyozzie  
 **Africa Oaks** , Selected from Zuni by Tis I, The Most Frenchiest Fry  
 **Othilia "Tilly" Joyce** , Selected from Whites by Abizeau

* * *

Welcome to "The Red Herring"!

This is a SYOC The Selection fanfiction, meaning that I depend on you to send me the Selected to appear in the story. As you might guessed, this is set in the future, and Illéa has pretty much turned into how Britain is today, with a bit of American influence due to the location.

You will most likely notice one or two differences – i.e. I refer to Michael as Crown Prince Michael of Illéa rather than Prince Michael Schreave because that is more correct – royals don't tend to use surnames at all. I was going to use HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) instead of HH (His/Her Highness), but because HH is shorter to type and canon, I am going to go with this – even though it's 'lesser' than HRH.

Illéa is a constitutional monarchy in which the King doesn't hold any real power. The technological and social standards are comparable to today's society, but that doesn't mean that the caste system hasn't left traces. Even though we might deny it, we still do have classes in today's society, and so does this fanfiction. I hope to receive characters from all kinds of classes.

The story's plot has been planned in the basics, but it will depend a lot on your characters. I plan to focus onto them and give each 'major character' a plot arc, but there's no way I can develop up to 35 characters + characters from my side. I do not guarantee you that I'll take your character or that they will become a major character.

Please give your best when filling the form!

By sending me a character, you allow me to use and change it in any way I want.

I am asking you to send an original character that has not been send to any other story to avoid 'copyright' (as much as that can happen in fanfictions) conflicts.

Please erase the brackets.

 **Information on already existing characters and provinces can be found via the link on my profile. The required information is there too. :)**


	2. Good Time

**1**

 **Good Day**

It was a nice day – certainly. The sun was shining, the sky was clear of any clouds, it was warm, midsummer and what not. Rock would certainly not mind going out, Michael thought when the car he sat in came to stop. The black-coloured windows (black-coloured windows somehow were a thing? Apparently since years too? _How?_ ) hid him from the public eye – fortunately. Quite a few people he knew would kill him if they saw his choice of clothing (t-shirt, jeans, trainers, sunglasses – apparently not 'adequate' for a crown prince). When the chauffeur opened his door, he slipped out of the car quickly.

"This way, sir."  
No need the formality or explanation; this wasn't the first time for him to be here. For way too many reasons, Michael did not like the place – he despised hospitals in general – but he (tried to, at least) kept a cool face.

Michael also ignored the note of where to go. This _still_ wasn't the first time for him to be here, the heir apparent wanted to tell the nurse, but he refrained from it. He wasn't _that_ stupid. Not even twenty-four hours since the 'news broke' (aka someone leaked the plans of the Selection) and he already had stopped looking at his phone's newsfeed. He wasn't particularly interested in vanity magazines and the boulevard press discussing his marriage.

He was twenty years old, for God's sake. People didn't marry with twenty anymore!

Not that they cared, apparently. Just like that nurse who had given him the hospital's visitor's pass and giggled with her co-worker afterwards. Frustration. Yes, Michael was frustrated. Twenty years, and he should have gotten over it, but nah – he was still complaining.

"Remind me again, why are you stalking me?"  
Silvestre had been by his side since he had left the palace in the morning. He certainly didn't need a babysitter, but if the press caught him, he wouldn't mind being able to push them at her rather than dealing with reporters on his own.

"I am not stalking you, your highness."  
"Drop the formality, Silvestre. You're like, literally, my godmother."  
"Yes, I know, Michael."  
"Thanks."  
"No problem." Silvestre paused. "But, to answer, because Emilia is almost a daughter to me. I am worried too."  
"I get why you're in the hospital, yeah, but why stalk me the rest of the way?"  
Silvestre chuckled. "We both know you're terrible with the press."  
"… Point."

 *** . * . ***

Emilia's hospital bedroom was filled with sunlight. The curtains were open and one window was too. Summer air filled the room. Emilia'd love this, Michael though. Said eighteen years old blonde however did not take much notice. Just like the last time, he had been here, Emilia was sleeping.

Or at least it looked like she was.

"Hey ya'." Rihanna turned around. The blonde – who looked almost like Emilia if it wasn't for the features, Emmy had inherited from their father – turned around.  
"Anything new?"  
Rihanna shook her head slowly. "Unfortunately, not, no."

Silvestre briefly hugged her daughter while Michael kept staring at his sister. Stupid, he thought. That he, Sam and Rihanna often ended up here, visiting her, even though she didn't know that they were here. Rihanna, Emmy's best friend, was here even more often than he, her brother, was. Yes, she worked on the other side of the street in a mall and wasn't working as royal, but it made him feel guilty.

"They say that comatose people can hear you, you know." Silvestre added.  
"They also say that it'll be nice weather if you eat up your plate." Michael retorted.  
"I read about that too though." Rihanna remarked. "By the way, Mike, how's the Selection going?" From sad and down, Rihanna's voice came back to a typical friendly teasing.  
"Good, and your's?" He retorted again.  
"Ah, I can't decide how many to take. Already got some applications?"  
"Officially, it's not even announced, duh."  
"Have you seen mum's workload?"  
"Yes." Silvestre laughed. "My phone was ringing the whole afternoon yesterday."  
"No, and I don't really care. She's being paid to do that, you know."  
"Sovereign grant?" Rihanna laughed. "You're being paid too!"  
"Better than a part-time shop clerk."  
"I just haven't decided what to do with my life!" Rihanna defended herself laughing.

A stupid, reasonless but funny 'fight' between friends. That was new. Maybe Rihanna, Samuel and Michael should hang out again. Once Emmy was fine, she could join them too. Emmy had to be fine again.

"But, hey, mum? Can you pull some strings so I get in?"  
Silvestre was visibly surprised. "Pardon me? Rihanna?"  
"That is an interesting way of confession your love for me, Rihanna…?" Michael, equally confused, spoke slowly.  
"Dude, no!" Rihanna laughed out. "You're not my type. Sam's much more handsome, and he isn't my type either."  
"Thanks, you too."  
"I just want in for the bitch fights. I mean, hello?" She jokily pointed to herself. "I have insider knowledge!"

Silvestre was, nonetheless, against it. "No, Rihanna you will not apply."  
"Why not?" Rihanna shrugged. "It's just for fun, mum."  
"It's… wrong. You and Michael are childhood friends!"  
"Last time I checked, that's not a no-no to hang out with some wanna be princesses."  
"Yes, but-"  
"You know, Rihanna?" Michael interrupted Silvestre. "You're in."  
"Wait, what?" Rihanna laughed. Silvestre was negatively surprised.  
"Do _you_ have a crush on me?" Rihanna challenged him.  
"No, but that's one less name to learn, one less girl to pretend to care about, and I'm sure," He turned to Silvestre. "Your mum could sell that as a sweet love story for the moment so I get rid of reporters claiming I just want to sleep with thirty-five girls."  
"You are a virgin!"  
"Hey, I'm not! But going by the press?" He laughed out. "Going by them, there are forty women and two guys who claim I slept with them, four that claim I assaulted them and two who claim I raped them."  
"Which are false." Silvestre nodded – more wanting to convince herself.  
"You've never even had a girlfriend." Rihanna added. "I got best sources."  
"You don't say." Michael sighed. "But, either way, Silvestre – _please_ make it happen. Sam has lectures to attend, and I won't go through this sane otherwise. It's not like Rihanna and I will end up together."  
"Exactly!"

It took more than just "Please?" to convince Silvestre of letting that happen, but eventually, she gave in. Rihanna was going to be in, no matter what. Poor Angeles girls, Michael had joked. Rihanna had retorted that they could always try their luck when they were partying.

It was funny that Rihanna was fine with clubbing even though her best friend (on whose side she usually was!) always warned them about the dangers. But well, now, Rihanna'd have to survive until Michael'd find a way out. Maybe the government (or whoever was in charge) would end up finding and arresting The Red Herring and he could end the whole thing with the statement that "I just didn't find the right one." – no one'd expect him to find the love of his life in thirty-five girls, right?

 *** . * . ***

Nonetheless, the afternoon came – and with that the press conference, Silvestre had warned him about yesterday evening. He had successfully missed a meeting about the criteria of the Selected, but he didn't really care either.

What he did care about was getting this press conference behind him. It was stupid alone.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." He spoke, in a "I care" voice towards the journalists that had been assembled in one of the uncountable rooms of the royal palace. He was already getting off script. Great. What was he meant to start with again?

Screw it. Screw this goddamn thing.

"As you might now, because some dude took the surprise moment from me, I – Crown Prince Michael of Illéa – am going to hold a Selection. For these who slept through history like I did and missed the little remark; that means that a young woman aged eighteen to twenty-two from every province will be selected, provided that she finished school and has applied, to come here, to the royal palace in Angeles. I am meant to find a wife through this, and I am going to leave it to fate – I honestly don't want to think about the aspect of having thirty-five guests whose name I gotta learn. The application form will be released online tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, and a duration of three weeks will stand to allow applications." Yeah, apparently, people thought it was a nice idea to rush it. He added further information he could remember, but presumably missed half of it. Michael hated press conferences. He grew annoyed, wanting to finish this thing.

Eventually, he did get over it, and passed Silvestre and his father who were standing in the hallway – presumably previous talking.

"That was," Silvestre started.  
"Terrible. I know.."  
"Michael." Richard sighed. "I just want the best for you and the country. You could simply embrace this chance to meet friendly and nice young ladies, son."  
"The country?" Michael asked annoyed. "They'd be better off if I locked myself in a closet."

 *** . * . ***

This wasn't the first time that more people were crammed into the student flat, Sam lived in. All of the them were pretty sure that the landlord had lied about the size, but never come to checking the actual size.

Rihanna had occupied the couch, Sam the floor and Michael a floor – four weeks after the Selection was announced. Four weeks in which practically nothing had changed, except that Samuel was studying heaps again and Rihanna had ended her job.

"When's the announcement of the Selected?" Sam looked up from his pile of folders.  
"Tomorrow." Rihanna answered. "Mum's doing it after Mike screwed up the last press conference.  
"Thanks for the confidence."  
"I have yours here, Rihanna." Sam waved one of the folders – filled with information on the Selected. "Miss Rihanna Lorde. Nineteen years old. Saint J. Hunton-Vanderbilt Academy graduate, employed as part-time shop clerk."  
"Wrong." Rihanna called out.  
"This information was made four weeks ago though." Michael remarked before open his can of beer and taking a sip.  
"Average student, no future plans known. A few cases of driving too fast. Hobbies are art and movies."  
"I thought we knew each other longer than five minutes?" Rihanna joked. "Why do you need to read my file?"  
"I've read all. You got a whole rainbow of options here, Mike."  
"Great, and I don't care."  
"Damn, I couldn't think straight if I had a thirty-five girls in my house." Rihanna laughed.  
"You are living in a penthouse. I'd be worried about the floor breaking if that happened." Mike complained.  
"But, seriously, besides Rihanna – the group isn't random, is it? I can see multiple themes."  
"There are criteria, yeah. I didn't read them though."  
"Or attend the meetings." Rihanna added.  
"Shut it."  
"No, thanks."  
"But why? I mean, they don't seriously expect you to marry one of these, do they?"  
"God knows what goes on in Greene's head." Michael shrugged. "Apparently, we need money to handle the German federation's new export policies, and to work out the Red Herring situation, and somehow… these girls are going to help with that?"  
"Most of them don't seem poor."  
"Greene does expect you to marry someone." Rihanna clarified. "I mean, how else would the Selection help? Sure, the advertisement's gonna bring money in, but otherwise? That's heaps of money."  
"What's up with the Herring guys though? Online info is pretty much nothing." Sam remarked. "They did attack some hospital somewhere, I heard. But that's the only thing I know."  
"No one tells me something." Michael took another slip. "Hey, Sam, how do you make girls fall for you?"  
"Half of the university has a crush on you." Rihanna added. "How."  
"You know, the reason I'm so beautiful is that I live in a glorified closet." Sam casually pointed to his small living space.  
"So, basically, you don't have any tips."  
"Yeah." Sam shrugged. "I dunno what these girls want from me. But, seriously, why do you suddenly care about what they think of you?"  
"Gotta play my role or I get in trouble."  
"With whom?"  
"Greene. 'Just do your job, boy.' – he says that every time we meet."  
"I don't like Greene." Sam stated.  
"Who does?" Michael shrugged. "I feel like he's just as disliked as the whole country."  
"Hey, it's not Emmy's fault."

He knew what Rihanna was referring to. The fact that the whole country preferred Miss Perfect, Princess Emilia. He knew that she was referring to the time where there had been a rivalry between them. She didn't know what else she was referring to.

"Hey, Sam? Wanna stay the night over and try help me with learning these girls' names?"  
"Now he suddenly cares." Rihanna laughed. "Power of the boner."  
It took Sam more time to realise what was going on. "Yeah, sure."

 **Author's Note**

It's been a while since I last worked with and Genius!Me forgot how to edit chapters. Yay. That's going to be fun.

Few notices:

Samuel Jones (name wrongly states, oops – I messed up) is doing a Bachelor of Health in Psychology for story purposes. There is a link to a Google Slides file on my profile that will lead you to the information about the main characters, including images. I've written a bit about the Selected, but feel free to message me if you would like anything to be changed.

In other news, Paloma, Honduras, Dominica and Angeles are taken. I have two further Selected whose province doesn't matter and will be decided once I close the SYOC (which will presumably happen once I upload chapter three?).

Also, here's me quietly hoping that I got through that Michael is emotionally struggling with stuff.


	3. Airplanes

**3**

 **Airplanes**

When Katherine Rhodes stepped out of the airplane, she was the last passenger. The flight attendants were certainly not happy about the delay, but the captain of the AirIlléa flight was still preoccupied with talking to the blonde.

He was a former air force pilot, and just as passionate for flying as Katherine was. It took a while for both to finish the conversation they were having (which the official from the palace had tried to break up twice already), but eventually, Katherine made her way through to the gate.

 **Kath:** Safely arrived in Angeles.  
 **Eliza:** Fancy. Send photos. x3

She briefly turned around, took a quick photo of the airplane behind her, and sent it to her friends. Given the time, she presumed that her other friends were working; she wasn't going to question why Eliza wasn't working.

 **Eliza:** Ready for the big day?

Participating in the Selection had been something that surprised her family. Yes, it had been a decision made a bit under the influence of alcohol, but she hadn't expected to be drawn. When the call with the news that she had been selected arrived, she had been offered the chance to decline too.

Katherine hadn't.

Eliza had called it pride, but supported the decision. Her father didn't want his 'little girl' to participate – he had suddenly developed a huge dislike for the crown prince. Her mother had questioned her decision too, but wished that her daughter did what she enjoyed.

Eliza was right – it had been her pride. She had signed up, and jumping off in the last minute seemed unfair. Wrong. Fearful. Weak. Things that Kath certainly wasn't.

 **Kath:** Of course.

"Miss Rhodes?"  
The voice calling her came from a woman. Dark skin, dark brown hair and an office look, holding a white tablet and a warm smile. She recognised her from somewhere, but it took Katherine a moment to realise from where.  
"Yes?"  
"I am Silvestre Lorde. We spoke over telephone."

The name rung a bell too. Someone related to the Selection, obviously, Katherine thought. To whom had she spoken? The team that organised the whole thing. Someone asking her for details – medical and diet requirements, for example, but that had been a man. Katherine recognised the voice too. Twice, they had spoken, she believed. Once when she had been informed of her 'success', and once a bit later – a briefing about the press conference that would reveal the identities of the Selected. It had been broadcasted live online, Katherine remembered, but she had only watched a video of it later on with friends.

"The press secretary, I believe?" Katherine asked, and gained a confirming nod.  
They shook hands.  
"Yes, that's me. How was your flight?"  
"Great. I could have flown myself though." She joked. Well, she didn't joke – it was the truth. Something she was quite, quite proud of. She deserved the recognition for her skills, Katherine thought.

"I heard of that." Silvestre did not comment anything further – her smile didn't waver at all. "Your suitcase has already been picked up, but we will need to wait for two other Selected before you will be able to leave the airport. I hope that's alright, but it's security guidelines."

Katherine nodded. "Of course." She added politely. Silvestre was, apparently, going to be very involved into the Selection, so complaining about waiting for a while wasn't a good idea. Silvestre guided her to the longue where another young woman, presumably also a Selected – she believed to have seen an image of her before – was sitting, with her nose in a book.

 *** . * . ***

Rhosyn Reynolds' pushed a strand of brown hair behind her right ear. Silvestre had just guided her to the waiting lounge before leaving again – another flight had arrived, and going by Rhosyn's watch, Silvestre had been gone for five minutes already. Not that Rhosyn had arrived half an hour ago – the five minutes made no difference – but going by the flight details, the other girl should have left the plane at least five minutes ago. Plus, Silvestre had said that they were four girls arriving around 9:00am.

Her eyes were focused on the book, she was reading. It was one of the courses from her university she was missing now, because of her social climber mother. "It's a good idea to take a break." She had told her at least twice a day ever since she had made Rhosyn sign up. Jason, her brother, had liked the idea, and the idea of being able to see him again was pretty much the best aspect of the whole idea. That, and the aspect that her mother had promised her that participating in the Selection would mean that she wouldn't need to look for a rich socialite like Jason had ended up with.

She still preferred her medicine books.

While the brunette was reading the book in her hands, she did not notice that Silvestre, with another young woman entered the lounge.  
"This is Rhosyn Reynolds." Silvestre spoke up.  
Rhosyn looked up, dropped her book a bit, and eventually rose. "Hello."  
"Nice to meet you." The blonde girl answered. "I'm Kath – Katherine Rhodes."  
Rhosyn mustered the girl for another moment – she looked familiar, she had seen that expression - cold and alpha-type - before, but Rhosyn couldn't put an identity to the name or the face. She couldn't be as popular as Juli, for sure. Maybe at school; enough of the kids from her old school were far too arrogant for their own good. Katherine – or Kath, how she had called herself – looked at her too. Right, they were rivals, Rhosyn remembered.  
"Call me Rho then." Rhosyn added with a polite smile.  
"Sure." Katherine sat down on the opposite of the small table nearby.  
"I have another two girls to pick up," Silvestre explained. "So please don't end up fighting or anything. We've had that already earlier today, and it nearly reached the reporters waiting outside. You don't want that to happen – almost as little as I do." She laughed. It might be a joke, Rhosyn thought, but it also sounded somewhat realistic.

If just half of the thirty-five girls were anything like her sister-in-law, then this was going to be 'fun'.

"Reporters?" Katherine repeated.  
"Yes. We should be able to avoid most of them today, but get used to the thought of it."  
Both girls briefly nodded, before Silvestre smiled – happy that they apparently weren't going to break into a bitch fight – and left.

Since Katherine's attention wandered to her phone on which she typed – chatting with friends? – Rhosyn opened her book again. Another five minutes passed with both girls being lost in their own world.

"Medicine?" Katherine eventually spoke up.  
"Yeah." Rhosyn nodded. "I'm studying at Angeles University."  
"How come you flew here then?"  
"I spend the summer at home, in Honduras."  
"I'm from Dominica. I studied in Waverly though."

Rhosyn glanced at the girl again. She hadn't read through the information on the selected girls before, and wasn't sure how old Katherine was, but she seemed in her age.  
"What did you study?"  
"Engineering."  
"That is a four-year degree, isn't it?"  
"Yes." Katherine nodded. "I started school a year earlier, and skipped a grade later on. I graduated from high school with sixteen."  
"Oh." Rhosyn nodded. "I wanted to do that, but my school doesn't allow skipping grades anymore. Some incident that happened, I don't know why."  
"It was… hard."  
"Hmm." Rhosyn nodded. She certainly believed that she could have graduated with the same grades if she had skipped a grade, but in the end, she was studying now, and that was what mattered. Except, she wasn't. Right. Rhosyn sighed. "Are you attending university now?"  
"No." Katherine shook her head. "I am taking a break. My degree was hard enough, and I want a few years of industry experience before doing a Masters. Are you taking a break because of the Selection?"  
"Sadly, yes."  
"Sadly?"  
"My parents' are a bit of social climbers." Rhosyn answered. "Participating was their idea."  
This time, Katherine vaguely nodded. "I know that kind of people. I signed up drunk."  
"Drunk?" Rhosyn couldn't help but laugh. She wanted to read, yes, but she also wanted to hear that story.  
"I just don't have much alcohol tolerance than my best friend, and I lost a bet. I wasn't _that_ drunk though." Katherine chuckled at the memory. "I won't stop you from studying though."  
Both briefly chuckled again, before silence fell again.

 *** . * . ***

"Remind me again, "Yelyzaveta Isadora Kateryna Bonovich glared through the plane's window while it was approaching Angeles' airport. "Why are you here?" The blonde girl turned around to her mother.  
Alexandria Bonovich was preoccupied with lip-gloss and a mirror. Unlike Isadora, she did not bother to look up. "There is a premiere I have been invited to." Because she starred the movie, Isadora added. Her mother just alluded – there was no need for her to mention that. "And a good friend invited me to a gala evening in honour of their oldest daughter's university graduation."  
Isadora laughed drily. "Sounds fun." She added sarcastically.  
" _Yelyazaveta._ " Her mother hissed like a snake. Adequate, Isadora thought.  
"Yes, mother?" She responded in a bittersweet voice, pretending to be oblivious.  
Alexandria sighed overdramatically. She had intended to admonish her daughter, but now gave up. A hopeless case, Isadora thought. That was what her mother was thinking, she expected.

The white plane eventually touched down, and by then, Alexandria had finished applying her make up. Good for her – it was a rather windy day in Angeles; the plane hadn't touched down softly. Even though the Bonovich's private plane didn't need to wait for hundreds of passengers to leave the plane – two plus crew was much less – Isadora found herself annoyedly tipping against the armrest of her seat until the crew could open the plane door. She wanted to get out. Out of the plane, maybe have a drink in a bar of the airport, and forget this whole mess, her parents had pulled her in.

Twenty-two was far too old to be not engaged or married, going by her parents. Apparently, a casting (Yes, old tradition blab la, but who cared?) was the best way for her to get married. To the Crown Prince, who was – going by what Isadora had read on the Wikipedia – just as much a jerk as she was.  
"You sound so similar!" had been the only positive aspect, her oh-so-great twin brother had found.  
Yeah, similar, maybe, but that didn't mean that that guy'd find his 'true love' (as it had later been stated in a _press_ _release_ – he hadn't even said it himself!) between fifty-five random girls.

"What a coincidence, that you're flying to Angeles on the day the Selection starts." Isadora had told her mother when they had boarded the plane. It hadn't been a coincidence, obviously. She knew that her mother (or father – details) had payed for her to get in.

"Yelyzaveta, don't you dare to ruin our family reputation." Her mother, now wearing black sunglasses (why apply mascara if you're going to wear sunglasses?), spoke before the two of them left the airplane. Isadora didn't bother with responding. While the airport crew guided them to the car that would take them from the private plane to the gateway, her mother took a phone call that Isadora soon confirmed to be her twin brother.

Spiritless, she pulled her phone out of her bag – today wasn't a good day, not at all. She glanced through the news section, noticed another article on the Selection and put her phone away seconds later. The phone disappeared in her bag, she sat down in the car, and leaned against the window. Her mother continued chatting while the car drove over the airfield. Obviously, she ignored the 'No phones!' rule that their captain had mentioned twice.

"Going by the palace contact, Miss Yelyazaveta's bags should be brought to the royal palace immediately." Someone told her mother once they left the car – ignoring Isadora (whose bags were the topic!). Presumably some palace staff, or someone her family employed.

Considering the fact that she hadn't gotten to speak with _anyone_ in charge of the casting yet, and that her mother had everything being run through her assistant, she had no idea of anything.  
"Maybe I should have done some research." Isadora admitted to herself, seconds before another woman joined them in the inside of the airport.  
"Good morning." The woman said with a happy voice. She smiled at Isadora. The palace's press secretary, Isadora realised.  
"Good morning, Miss Lorde." Alexandria answered, and shook the woman's hand.  
"Hello." Briefly, she considered forcing a smile. _Briefly_. Seconds later, she had changed her mind. It wasn't like this Selection was going to lead anywhere.  
"If you don't mind, Miss Bonovich, I will just need to pick up one more Selected, and that should be all flights for the morning. Most selected will be arriving in the midday. Just come with me – the gate isn't too far away." Silvestre Lorde explained.

It took Isadora and Alexandria at least a minute to figure out that Silvestre was talking to Isadora, not her mother, and Isadora couldn't help but laugh at her mother's reaction.

"Sure, sure." She said, leaving her mother standing behind.

 *** . * . ***

Tatiana Loveren was still reading a book when she left the first-class gate. It was a good one, and she genuinely liked it – she hummed happily. Just the chapter, she had thought, before she accidentally stumbled into a man in a suit.  
"Excuse me?" The stranger spoke up. "Look where you're walking."  
"Do so yourself." Tatiana shot back when she noticed his phone which he had been looking at.

Grumbly, both walked into different directions. The man seemed to follow the flow of people leaving the airplane and heading for the exit, but Tatiana had been told to wait at the exit. Easier said than done; it was awkward to stand in the empty airport while everyone else was leaving.

The weirdest part, Tatiana realised soon, wasn't that though – but that the few people who were still passing by were looking at her. Longer than one'd do if she was just lost. Her first idea was that it was her similarity to her mother, Sarafina Harolds, but she scrapped that train of thought soon.

Right.

The Selection.

She already had a Wikipedia page, going by her best friend. People were more curious about her, because she potentially would marry the 'most edible bachelor of Illéa' as the news had called the Crown Prince. How realistic that was, Tatiana wasn't sure. She had read the news stories about his 'adventures'.

The passengers eventually disappeared (or rather, left for the exit) and she found herself alone in the airport. While the airplane crew was working at the gate's entrance, Tatiana briefly considered following them. She was worried, yes. Worried that she had misunderstood something in the moment of surprise when she had learned that she had, indeed, been selected. Or that she remembered something wrongly. Whatever.

Fortunately, the woman she had seen previously on television, Silvestre Lorde, appeared not too soon afterwards. "Ah, Miss Loveren. I apologise for the wait." She said with a warm smile. "The airport's way too large for my taste."  
She was being followed by another girl in Tatiana's age who Tatiana also recognised; one of the selected girls.

"We just need to pick up two girls, and then I can show you the way to the car." Silvestre explained. "They're waiting in the lounge. If you'd follow-"  
"Excuse me?" The woman, out of breath from running on high heels, demanded. Some passenger that had recognised them and wanted to talk? "What- why are you rushing?"  
Silvestre turned around with a naïve face. "… Because there is a schedule to keep?s"  
"I am Alexandria Bonovich, and-"  
"I am very well aware of that." Silvestre, keeping a poker face, nodded.  
"How do you-"  
"Miss Bonovich, Miss Loveren?" Silvestre turned to the two girls. "The car will be waiting just outside the VIP gate; please follow me."  
"Excuse me?!"  
"Yes you are excused." Silvestre added with a smile, before turning around, and casually walking off. The blonde girl followed after a brief glance to the woman. Tatiana did too – she didn't have much of another choice.

"Yelyazaveta Bonovich, Tatiana Loveren." Silvestre briefly introduced the two, without giving Tatiana a second to try to spell that name. "You'll have more than enough time to do self-introductions later – I just want to get away from the helicopter mum."

The blonde girl laughed again, Tatiana noticed confused. She wasn't sure whenever Silvestre or the other (presumably) selected would explain her what was happening.  
"That was my mother." The girl with the strange names explained after Tatiana had looked between the two for at least a minute.  
"I apologise." Silvestre chuckled. "But I've had to deal with sobbing parents already this morning, and it's only nine o'clock. This day is going to be too long for my nerves, and I have to deal with another twenty-five girls. I've already reached the 'I'm done' point."  
Isadora nodded rather cheerfully. "Yeah, I don't mind."

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

Okay, little warning – I only know how universities work in New Zealand. I'm gonna work with a mix of my knowledge about NZ universities and what you're giving me – I apologise, but I have no idea of how university in the US works.

The award for the weirdest name (for my European standards, it is) goes to Isadora. If I type "Isodora" or anything else, punch me and I'll update it. I'm a hopeless case.

This chapter introduces the four main characters I have at the moment. I'm really happy with what kind of range I have, although – I got to admit that I'm surprised how much of a mental health theme this fic now has. I started plotting it because I wanted to write something _without_ that topic!

Please message me / tell me anyhow if I met your character's personality correctly, and – even though I'm going to message everyone eventually, I'd like to ask you all to tell me what your character thinks of the respective characters (Michael, Samuel, Rihanna, Silvestre, Katherine, Rhosyn, Isadora, Tatiana). I worked with the first impression I got from the character information sheets, but I'd like to change them adequately over time. I have brief outlines for possible relationships between them, but I'd like to confirm them with you guys. 😊

For the moment, I'm going to go with 'Feel free to send characters' because I have only planned what is meant to be about 1/3 of the plot, so I should be able to include them perfectly fine.

I've pretty much written this chapter without outlines, since mine start with the girls' arriving at the palace in the evening, and the in-between is going to be used to develop the perspectives of the characters, I'll write most. I intend to write as little as possible out of Michael's perspective to avoid spoilers about his thoughts etc., so for the casual events, I'll most likely go between the five main characters, Silvestre, Rihanna and Samuel, depending on what fits. I intend to focus onto the main characters, but Silvestre is for 'adult scenes' (i.e. involing the PM, the king, …), Rihanna for a neutral view on the selected and Samuel for stuff around Michael.


	4. Arrival

**4**

 **Arrival**

Silvestre smiled.

Yes, the way she had handled Yelyzaveta's mother was not professional at all, but she had had to deal with two parents already. She didn't like that type of parent who had to accompany their child to Angeles. All of the girls were above eighteen! For God's sake, she even coped with Rihanna having stayed at the palace this night too. She wasn't crying either!

Then again, she was going to deal with her daughter every day.

And the Bonovich family wasn't uninfluential in Illéa. Greene had wanted Rhodes and Bonovich – two girls she was dealing with now! – in the Selection because of their family's money. Oh welp, Silvestre shrugged. That wasn't going to make Michael anyhow more enthusiastic about this whole plot.

Poor guy, she thought. He had looked terrible this morning. Might have been the hangover too though, she thought.

Silvestre stayed in the entrance to the VIP lounge where Katherine and Rhosyn were sitting and cleared her throat. "Alright, girls?" Fortunately, she gained the other two's attention fairly quickly. "I'll show you the way to the car that will take your to the palace, if that's alright with you all."  
Katherine, the girl that had taken five minutes with leaving a plane, was the first to stand up this time. Rhosyn had a book to close and store away.

The silence that fell while the five women were walking to the cars was certainly awkward, but by far not as much as when she had gone through the Selected's information with Michael. Poor girls, she thought. Maybe she _should_ have someone mix strong alcohol into Michael's drinks? That'd make him much less stiff, she hoped secretly. But then again, if all girls were either about to break into fights (Too good that Rihanna was going to (kinda) spy on the girls – Silvestre didn't want to work for these girls) or just quietly walking.

"Feel free to introduce yourself to each other." Silvestre spoke with a bitter sweet undertone when they reached the car. "See you later." She did wave them off when the car left. "Five groups more to go."

 *** . * . ***

The silence during the walk had certainly been somewhat awkward, but by far not as bad as Rhosyn knew it from med school. No one was trying, and that was a good thing. Mutual disinterest, basically. Nonetheless, she did hope that someone would start a conversation. She hadn't taken any note about the other girls' names yet, except for Katherine, the engineering graduate, but that had just been now. She appreciated the slight tone of an order in Silvestre's voice, but couldn't bring herself to speak up.

It took a while for someone to speak up. One of the two girls, the one with darker hair and skin, was reading something on her phone. Katherine seemed to be chatting with someone on her phone. The other girl, the blonde one, was glaring outside the window – somewhat happy though.

"Alright. I'm Kath. Katherine Rhodes, from Dominica." Katherine's voice was still rather cold.  
"Tatiana Loveren. I'm from Paloma." One of the other two girls said. She seemed a bit confused, but Rhosyn couldn't explain why. Maybe she just never had been in Angeles? "Nice to meet you…?" And maybe the coldness from Katherine and the silence had confused her too.  
"My name is Rhosyn Reynolds. I am from Honduras." As you might noticed by my accent, she added in her mind.

All three girls turned to the fourth girl, the other blonde girl, who – after another round of silence – sighed. "Isadora Bonovich, Clermont. Hopefully gone from here as soon as possible."

"Didn't Miss Lorde refer to you as… something else?" Tatiana asked.  
"Yelyazaveta." Isadora responded brief. "I don't like my first name. Call me Isadora."  
"Alright… That doesn't sound Illéan." Katherine remarked. "Where are you from?"  
"My parents are from Ukraine."  
"I've been there. It's a nice place." Katherine replied to Isadora.  
"Hm." A cold impression, Rhosyn noted.  
"Have you been there?" The blondine from Dominica asked; she was trying to be friend - points for that - but still, she was equally cold.  
"On holidays."  
Rhosyn expected Katherine to say something else - to respond to Isadora's brief answer - and she seemed to want to, but kept quiet.  
"Who was that woman with you?" Tatiana asked.  
"My _beloved_ mother." A sarcastic remark. "I like Silvestre already."  
"The press secretary?" Rhosyn asked. Isadora nodded. "Yes, she seems to be kind. What do you think of the Crown Prince?"  
"Couldn't care less." Isadora replied.  
"You don't seem to keen on the Selection." Katherine remarked.  
"Bingo." Isadora glared out of the window.  
"Why are you here then?" Katherine wondered.  
"Not your concern." Isadora responded, waving her off annoyed. "Be happy – one less girl in the competition."

"They can't force you to stay in the Selection, so why not leave if you're so annoyed already." Katherine spoke catty. Katherine didn't like her attitude – that was obvious. Rhosyn didn't either – why did she sign up for something she cared to little about? – but had to remind herself that she wasn't too keen on the Selection either. At least she was better in hiding it. Plus…  
"They can, we signed a contract." Rhosyn remembered.  
"That, and my _beloved_ parents wanting me in it." Isadora finished.

Well, they weren't too different then? No need to be a jerk about it though.

"If your parents pressure you into it, and have something in the hand against you," Like Rhosyn's studies and reputation as a doctor-to-be. "then would it be helpful to be open about disliking the idea of being here?"  
"Yes, because I. Don't. Care."

Katherine sighed. Snobby rich girl, huh? Tatiana glanced between them, before turning back to her phone and whatever she was reading or writing there.

Isadora sounded quite like a helpless case. But then again, there was always a way out of the box.

"You know, if one door closes, another opens." Tatiana remarked.  
"Or you just re-open the old door." Katherine and Rhosyn spoke at the same time – without looking to Tatiana. Surprised, Rhosyn looked to Katherine. Logic from a rich kid? She didn't expect that. Right, though, she had a degree in engineering. "That's how door works, you know." Isadora added, even though she – like Tatiana – clearly hadn't come up with the idea.

 *** . * . ***

Rihanna glared over the edge of the handrail. She leaned over it, watching the five girls that had arrived an hour ago in Angeles. She didn't like them – they were fighting, apparently again, going by what her mother had texted her.

 **Mum:** The first batch is one big bitch fight.

Silvestre was way too stressed, Rihanna knew that. She hadn't been home in two nights, and Michael's attitude wasn't very helpful. Rihanna did want to tell him off, but she couldn't. Not after seeing him after a hangover this morning. He was not happy at all about what was going to happen.

Rihanna was torn between telling him off and helping her mother, between the fact that he was being a jerk about getting thirty-four girls to flirt with and the fact that even she – who was closer to Emilia – felt like he was looking at something completely different.

She took a bit of the bar of chocolate in her hand while one of the girls (who seemed to be the aggressor) pushed another girl away. She couldn't help but wonder why they were fighting, but presumably because they wanted the money and title, Michael had to offer.

"Hey, you there." Miss Offender called out.  
"Who, me?" Rihanna asked.  
"You're Rihanna Lorde."  
"Hundred points to the lady whose name I don't know." Rihanna answered casually.  
"How little do you care about the Selection that you don't know my name?" The blondine demanded to know.  
"I'm just bad with names." Rihanna responded. "You know mine, what's yours?"  
"I am Cecilia Stark." She spoke, almost with (pretended) old accent.  
"And you're fighting with your friends? What a nice beginning. Don't you care about the Selection? How would Mike think of that?" Rihanna responded in the same voice.

Spending the next… what ever time period with them? Please no.

"They are not my friends. I merely declared my position. They don't seem to agree, Miss Lorde. You should understand. Although, a commoner like you might simply not."  
"Honey, you're just as much a commoner as I am." Rihanna reminding Cecilia.  
"Do you even know who I am?!"

Yeah, now that she reminded her of her name, yes, Rihanna knew of her. Twenty-two years old, from Likely right now, but that was just a thing of officiality. What exactly she wanted here, Rihanna didn't know. Why would Cecilia Stark participate in the Selection? Didn't she have a boyfriend?

"Honey, yes, I do." Rihanna took another bite, and smiled. Ready for a bitch fight. "Let me join you, and meet my new neighbours."

Poor Emilia, missing this fun. Surely, the Princess didn't like these informal conversations, but hey, Rihanna wasn't going to be thrown out of the Selection just because of a few fights. They were girls, Michael knew what was coming.

 *** . * . ***

"Alright, let's do this again." Sam tried to be encouraging. Tried.  
"No." Michael shook his head.  
"Well, you kind of need to."  
"Actually, I don't." The Crown Prince smiled happily.  
"Hm?"  
"I got the perfect idea on how to decide who I will and who I won't keep following the first elimination."  
"You're already planning to get rid of the girls?" Sam laughed.  
"No. Yes. No. Kind of." Michael leaned against the couch, taking another slip from his glass and patting Rock who napped next to him. Silvestre had threatened to make sure that he wouldn't be given a drop of alcohol until he was married if he was drunk during anytime that was filmed.

At least that goddamn hangover was over.

"Which means?" Sam, at least, was drinking water too. Well, he never drunk anything alcoholic, so that didn't mean anything.  
"I am going to eliminate all girls whose name I don't know by the time, Silvestre allows me to."  
"Any idea when that is?"  
"Nope. I missed the meetings." Michael laughed.  
"So…?"  
"There's some banquet this evening. What happens there, I don't know." A pause. "I had some ideas though." He leaned forward. "Wanna hear?"  
"Depends." Sam leaned back too; he wanted to know.  
"So, one thing – since I dunno how the whole thing goes and so on, I was thinking – isn't this the ideal excuse for going out, partying? Maybe somewhere in Sonage or Dominica? Nice beaches, nice party life, nice distractions from this nonsense."  
"That…" Sam paused. "I wanna come along, if. So, you need to run the Selection until-" he had a lecture free period, Michael finished in his mind.  
"Sam, you have no need to worry about your tuition fees, why not take off a year? God knows how long Greene wants me to continue this spectacle."  
"That'd basically mean I'll just hang around here and do nothing, except keep you from your girls." They laughed.  
"You could ask Silvestre if you could do some internship or job in the organisation team. She's understaffed, from what I know."  
"I want to be paid, if." Sam demanded joking.  
"Deal."  
"Since when is that your decision to make?" Sam asked.  
"I can always threaten Silvestre of having a scandal with someone outside the Selection. Or sleeping with Rihanna."  
Another round of laugher. "As if. Emilia'd kill you. Rihanna is practically her sister."

That was a mistake, and Samuel realised that very soon, when Michael stopped talking.

"So, about the holidays, you're planning. What else?" Sam tried to distract him.  
"I was, not sure if I'm serious though, considering a talent show."  
"What is _your_ talent?" Sam laughed.  
"Rock." He clenched his fist.  
"Point."  
"Yours?" Michael played.  
"Paper."

Another laugh.

"What _would_ you do?" Michael demanded to know.  
"Tell my stories of survival? Beat you, who's done it forever, in horse races?"  
"Sounds fun. We can't do races in the South though." Michael started to think.  
"Then we also need a trip to the North, maybe. Not the far north, just north-ish. What used to be Canada. I like the nature there."  
"Yeah, that sounds nice." The Crown Prince agreed.  
"I can see Silvestre opposing that though."  
"Why would she? Wouldn't that mean that I actually care? Which I don't, so, good acting."  
"Taxes. The Selection's paid by the state, through taxes, not the royal family's fortune." Sam reminded him.  
"We can do it once we're down to twenty-ish."  
"Uh…" Sam didn't seem to agree.  
"We can still host them in our residences, on our costs, and we'd just need one plane."  
"We might be able to sell that to her."  
"And since you are my newest spy in the organisation team-" Michael started.  
"You already got two spies? Rihanna between the Selected and me in the organisation team? Seriously? What's next? Someone in the government?" Sam laughed.  
"Cecilia can do that."

Silence.

"… Don't bring up my cousin." Sam, now cold, demanded.  
"Sam, she-"  
"I hate her." He added.  
"I'm not a particular fan of Cecilia either, but-" Michael was broken off.  
"She is in the Selection too, isn't she? Should have read all the files, not just the third you gave me." Sam sighed.  
"For some stupid reason, yes, she is. That's one of the few names I remember." Michael paused, thinking. "Cecilia Stark. Twenty-two. Likely. Law graduate, taking a gap year. One of the people, Greene wants in the Selection as long as possible."  
"You're kidding me." Sam shook his head in disbelief.  
"Cecilia won't even remember you."  
"Do I need to explain you that-"  
"No. No, you don't." Michael rose.

The prince walked up to the table and glanced over his phone's lockscreen. He took his phone, slipped it in his pants' pocket and paced back – between the couch and the table back and forth. Issues. Things. Stupidity annoyances he didn't want to deal with.

Cecilia and Samuel. Silvestre and Rihanna. Greene and his father. Thirty-four other girls. Emilia. The other thing. His mother.

"Can you give me the other files?" Sam asked.  
"Who do you have?"  
"Rihanna and ten other girls with no names to remember. Well, some of them rung a bell or looked familiar, but who knows." His best friend shrugged.  
"I had Cecilia and another ten with names I don't remember. Dunno about Rihanna. She didn't read all either." Michael responded.  
"… We shouldn't have spent that night like that but read through them. It would have been a good action. A warning about what people you're gonna deal with." Sam realised guilty.  
"Nah."  
"Anything Rihanna's got?"  
"She arrived at eight thirty here." Michael remembered.  
"It's afternoon." Sam responded.  
"Then she certainly will have something to report."

He waved his phone in the air.

 **Rihanna:** Why didn't you tell me that Cecilia Stark is here.  
 **Rihanna:** Well, she is. And she started a bitch fight with the other girls she arrived with. They just reacted. Dunno what she did, but she insulted them. Haven't figured out what her 'position' is that makes her so special though.  
 **Rihanna:** Aside of being the nice of a dead PM.  
 **Rihanna:** The other four girls are just random girls who joined the lottery, no one interesting. Like, I could even say they were randomly dawn.

"Sounds like they are boring - besides Cecilia." Sam concluded.  
"Sounds like they are still bitching around. _About what?_ "  
"Who's gonna get the Crown Prince's heart, maybe?" Sam laughed.  
"No one. Don't have one."  
"I'd say- Forget it." His sister would oppose that, yeah, but Sam had learned his lesson. Better not mention Emilia.  
"And apparently, once they finally finished, Cecilia started sulking. And framed one of the other girls. Can't wait to hear their version of the story." Michael laughed.  
"I presume you'll believe Rihanna?" Sam asked.  
"Rihanna isn't going for the win. Rihanna isn't bothering to fight. She's gonna have a clear mind." Michael explained.  
"Beautiful poetry, your highness."  
"Shut it." The Crown Prince threw a pillow towards his best friend.  
"How are they going to address you? Your highness? Crown Prince Michael? Michael? Mike? Darling? Sweetheart? Hon- Ouch!" Another pillow flew towards him.  
"Dunno. Silvestre's organised my old governess to teach them etiquette, so I guess, we'll find out." The blonde prince laughed at the thought.  
"Sounds fun." Sam remarked.  
"No, it doesn't."  
"What else does she have?"

Michael scrolled. "Little. Apparently, she got involved into it too. 'For fun', she claims."  
"Sounds like Rihanna."  
"She missed the second group and going on."  
"Which means?"  
"We will need to figure the rest out on our own. Helpful." Michael rolled his eyes.  
"I am invited? Since when." Sam asked confused at first, before realising what Mike had meant. "Never, your-"  
"Sadly, no. I was unable to convince anyone of letting my best friend and only trusted advisor join me." The Crown Prince theatrically complained.  
"Sad life. You'll cope." Sam shot back.  
"Not if I don't know where the banquet is."

 *** . * . ***

Richard glanced over the files on his table.

Thirty-five girl's eligible to marry his oldest son, he knew. Well, thirty-four. Rihanna wasn't real competition. Silvestre had asked for it in her daughter's stead, and he had accepted and insisted. It was a simple request by his wife's trusted and dearest friend, and he knew that it would make Michael happier as well.

"Cecilia, of course. She is a Stark – the public will love her." Greene explained while Richard read through the Stark girl's file.  
"People question how intelligent it is to have a politician fight for the Crown Prince's heart. They want the separation of the crown and the government to stay clear." Richard remarked.  
" _If_ Michael decides for Cecilia, she will, of course, leave politics. She will not do anything political during the Selection either." Greene added.  
"Of course." Richard nodded; he didn't really believe that. "Rhosyn Reynolds? That name; that's-"  
"Yes, Her Highness' doctor, Dr. Reynolds. He does indeed care for Princess Emilia. The committee to select the girls thought it adequate for Miss Reynolds to be included."  
"A thank you for his father's help. I see." Richard nodded.  
Green agreed. "She studies medicine. Intelligent, clever girl. A victim of the Red Herring too – the people should like her, and she and Michael might get along on that basis."  
"That sounds right, yes." The King nodded. "What's with her?"

"Bonovich. Rich, influential family with ties all over the world. The black sheep of the family, unfortunately, but the name means something. She and Michael would get along. Both like to party. Both like to drink. Rebels." Greene summarised Isadora's file.  
"I am not sure if they will not be a bad influence on each other though." The King remarked.  
"Well, both need to learn that they can't go on like this." Greene added. "I am sure that the Bonovich family would be glad to see their daughter finally live up to her family name."  
"Yes, yes. You want their money and connections, I understand." Richard shook his head.

"This here is Katherine Rhodes. No one we had expected – the family protects her very much, but an intelligent student. Graduated two years early, and has a degree in engineering too. Prescott heir is her brother, and the daughter of an air force pilot. I don't see her as… important as Miss Bonovich, but she would certainly get along with Emilia too. Enjoys to travel, just like Michael. Well, she's got a pilot licence, so, I guess she does." Green assumed.  
"Rhodes? That's the name of a good old friend from the military."  
"Her father was in the air force." The prime minister explained.  
"There we go. She's in, I haven't spoken to General Rhodes in ages. It will be nice to meet an old friend again."

"Of course. Then, there is-" Greene was interrupted.  
"How come you are thinking so much about what Michael likes if this is nothing but politics?" Richard was wary.  
"Simple. Michael won't play along otherwise. Plus, I am sure you want your son happy." Greene smiled sweetly, but the King saw through that.  
"Hmpf."  
"This is Mayli Yi. Parents from New Asia, a model nonetheless." Greene explained.  
"Immigrants?"  
"The Bonovich family are immigrants too."  
"Yes, but this girl' parents run a Chinese restaurant. That can't be compared to the Bonovich family." Richard complained.  
"Yes, but Mayli has connections. She is close to someone high up of the Illéan Times. That influence is essential to keep the public unaware of how goddamn close the Red Herring is." Greene explained, hopeful that the King wouldn't demand her to leave immediately.  
"Hmpf."  
"She's young, pretty, sweet, beloved, popular at her old school. Studies law, would make a good princess. She isn't the worst case."  
"Hmpf. Who else?" Richard did not like immigrants at all.

"There's Tatiana Loveren, the daughter of an actress and director. Was in public for a while because of her parents' divorce. She'd be good to get the younger generation's interest, I guess. You know, starlet fangirling and so on. Then there's…"

 *** . * . ***

 **Richard's views are definitely not mine.**

 **This chapter is (obviously) split into three parts – the main characters, Michael and Richard/Greene. At the time where I wrote this, I didn't have the info on the girls' first impressions, hence me deciding to write out of Rhosyn's view – her info was most detailed. Nonetheless, I intend to have each girl have equal 'screentime'.**

 **Also, I hate Silvestre for being one of these characters that do their own thing. She was meant to appear more trolly and motherly rather than stern, but I guess, her annoyance is going to last through the Selection either way, and there's not gonna be much of a difference.**

 **Since someone asked; I'll upload in 14 days rhythm, on every Wednesday. I have finals in November, and idk if I'll have time in the summer holidays since I'm going to Europe for a while.**

 **Completely other thing; I started a group chat for Selection Writers! discord. gg / pjY8GE7 will lead you there. You don't need to create an account (I think…?) to join, so come and try it! :3**

[Edited on 12/10/2018]


	5. Wonderland

**5  
Wonderland**

Angeles Palace was old. At least a few hundred years old, and that explained the old style of the outside and interior. Of course, Katherine wasn't an art historian, but the design was at least two hundred years old. When the four girls had arrived at the palace, they had been welcomed by staff members and guided to their accommodation.

There was no way one could consider Katherine as poor, but this was another story. She had grown up in luxurious estates, but hadn't been in a palace yet. Her school had visited Angeles Palace once, but she hadn't been able to participate in the trip for reasons.

She soon confirmed that each of the Selected had been given at least similar accommodation, meaning that each girl had their own bed, bath and living room. Angeles Palace was huge, yes, but what did they do with all these rooms all the time? Katherine couldn't imagine any use. Right, they had historical origins – the palace had been built during a time where royalty and the Selection were a real thing – but she made the mental note to figure out what they were used for now.

 **Katherine:** I arrived. Wait until I sent photos.

She forwarded the message to her friends and family, alongside at least a dozen photos of the interior and view (onto the fore garden of the palace). She had been told that her suitcase and bags would eventually arrive too, but Katherine hadn't completely listened.

 **Jackson:** That looks fancy. Were you just lucky, or did everyone get the same?  
 **Katherine:** Apparently, it's the same (ish?) for everyone.  
 **Jackson:** Don't let yourself be fooled by it though, Kath.  
 **Katherine:** I'm not stupid.

Katherine had taken the couch in the living room and leaned back. The blonde rolled her eyes at her oldest brother; this wasn't the first time he was telling her to be wary.

 **Henry:** I wouldn't mind staying there.  
 **Edwin:** I absolutely agree. Don't get lazy though, darling.  
 **Katherine:** Don't worry. :)

Jackson went offline before her brother and father messaged. Presumably back to work, Katherine thought. That had to be the reason why her mother and her third brother didn't write anything either. They'd eventually read the message though. Katherine knew that.

She closed the Rhodes' family group chat and opened another one with her friends. All of them had read the message already.

 **Finn:** Can I come too? Hey, Oscar, you're a King, can you make me come? Pleeeeeeeease?

Finn's first message made her smile. Oscar King, the oldest in the group, had no royal relations and just a surname that Finn liked to joke about.

 **Oscar:** No. Finn, you'll make Kate get into trouble.  
 **Eliza:** nah. she's gonna make the prince fall for her.  
 **Katherine:** Do I get to say anything?  
 **Finn:** No. We're arranging a marriage, Miss Rhodes.  
 **Finn:** * Your Highness. Sorry  
 **Katherine:** I don't even know if I want to marry him.  
 **Eliza:** he looks good tho  
 **Katherine:** I agree with that. I feel like he should do more with his position though. I mean, he isn't exactly doing anything except waving and shaking hands.  
 **Eliza:** i need to move to angeles lol  
 **Eliza:** i wanna go on a party where he is. get me insider info, kath  
 **Oscar:** Please don't.  
 **Eliza:** I'm 23, dad.  
 **Eliza:** so, kath, tell me about the other girls.  
 **Katherine:** I met three until now.  
 **Finn:** That's more than I have  
 **Oscar:** Who did you meet?  
 **Katherine:** Rhosyn Reynolds, Tatiana Loveren and Isadora Bonovich. We arrived in Angeles around the same time and travelled together to the palace.  
 **Eliza:** and?  
 **Katherine:** Isadora seems to be from a high society family too, but she's a bit of a snob. She doesn't seem to take the Selection serious at all. She was quite vocal about not caring about it.  
 **Oscar:** Hopefully you won't need to deal with her a lot.  
 **Eliza:** What about the others?  
 **Katherine:** I arrived after Rhosyn. She studies medicine and seems intelligent. It takes a lot to go into the medical field, you know. I think I might get along with her.  
 **Finn:** isn't medicine basically 24/7 studying? Sounds like us. You found yourself a soulmate haha  
 **Oscar:** but engineering and medicine isn't the same.  
 **Katherine:** I did not intend to start discussions about airplanes the whole time.  
 **Eliza:** And Tatiana? Google says that she's the daughter of a film director and actress. I saw her mother in a movie, she's cool.  
 **Katherine:** Is she? I didn't know.  
 **Finn:** Who?  
 **Eliza:** Sarafina Harolds  
 **Katherine:** She seems alright to me, but I had least time to talk to her. I waited a bit with Rhosyn.  
 **Eliza:** did you talk to her?  
 **Katherine:** That was the time I chatted with you at the airport. She was reading a book that I think was for uni.  
 **Eliza:** oh  
 **Finn:** Anyone else?  
 **Katherine:** I met some staff members, like Silvestre Lorde. She's the press secretary. She strikes me as professional and stern, the 'things have to go by plan' type.  
 **Finn:** Go on  
 **Katherine:** There isn't really much to go on with. I've only met them briefly. I think I'll meet more girls in the evening; there's a banquet and I presume I'll have a chance to talk to them there. I think the 'meeting the prince' is tomorrow.  
 **Eliza:** tell me more  
 **Katherine:** Wait, I have the sheet somewhere

She placed her phone on the table and grabbed the folder in which various notices had been given to her, including a handy map of the palace and areas that weren't meant to be entered. The afternoon was free to be used – if she wanted, she could have gone to the central city too which might had been a nice idea. She did have some adequate evening dresses, but maybe some shopping would be helpful. The banquet in the evening was the only thing on the schedule for her on he arrival day – she guessed that some Selected would only arrive in the afternoon.

Tomorrow, on the other hand, the girls were indeed meant to meet the crown prince. How exactly that was going to happen – she didn't know, but presumed that it was a simple meeting for starters. This wasn't a blind date competition, and even if, how would she imagine a date to be? She wasn't sure.

While the instructions noted that none of the info was meant to go to any kind of outsider – be it family, friends or others, Katherine told her friends that she what she believed to remember was true. Hopefully none of them would be too talkative, but to be safe, she also told them to keep quiet.

 *** . * . ***

After having arrived fully, Tatiana had left her rooms soon again. She didn't mind them (They were amazing!) but at the same time, she didn't feel like staying inside. Unlike Katherine, she hadn't read through the folder yet though, and thus missed the map inside.

Hence her now standing in the middle of a hallway and having no idea on which level she even was.

All the hallways, she had walked through did not look the same, yes, but at the same time, they were far too filled with paintings, colours and what not to allow her to find something to orienteer on. A bit minimalism would help heaps here, she noted.

"Oh good." She spoke out loud into the empty hallway when she found a window. She was looking at the gardens – the ones that were hidden from the public eye. She had seen them when her mother had once filmed here eight years ago and she had come along, but not since then. She was relieved to find something to orienteer herself with.

The hallway she stood in lead to stairs which she promptly decided to follow down. Through another door, and another one, and a hallway later, she found herself standing in the entrance to the neatly kept garden. Curious, Tatiana followed the closest pathway into the garden.

"I should have taken my camera." She complained to herself when watching a few butterflies flying around a few yellow flowers. It was quite good weather now, but autumn was coming, and it was colder now.

"Woof!" Surprised, Tatiana turned around – to find a dog with a stick in his mouth running towards her. "Woof! Woof!"

What exactly did a dog do here? She doubted that the palace used dogs as watch dogs (especially not with a stick as weapon), so it might belong to someone living here? Princess Emilia liked animals, he remembered, and had a dog, but that one was white and a poodle. This one here was a German Shepard, she believed. She kneed down.

The dog cheerfully greeted her, and soon seemed to expect her to take the stick and play fetch with it. After patting the dog, she did take the stick, but to be able to see if it was wearing a collar. Yes, there was one, and it stated that the dog's name as Rock.

"Hello, Rock" Tatiana smiled; the dog barked again. This time, she threw the stick as far as she could – behind a few larger bushes. Rock dashed after it. She couldn't see the dog, but heard it running somewhere.

"What are you doing?" Someone, from behind, asked.  
Tatiana turned around and recognised the brunette – Rhosyn Reynolds, one of the girls from this morning. Rhosyn was walking towards her, carrying a book and a grey folder.

"There was a dog until just now." Tatiana explained. "Apparently, it wanted to play Fetch. I think I threw the stick vaguely there." She pointed into the direction she had thrown towards.  
"A dog?" Rhosyn repeated surprised.  
"Rock, going by the collar."  
"Ah." Rhosyn nodded. "What are you doing outside?"  
Tatiana smiled embarrassed. "I got lost and ended up here."  
"There was a map in the folder we got, you know."  
"Which folder?"

Rhosyn pointed to the grey folder she was holding and opened it, presenting the map of the palace. "We are in the back garden. There isn't a map of the garden itself though." Rhosyn added.  
"And what are you doing?"  
"I was going to read." She pointed to the book. "It's nice weather, so why not go outside?"  
"What are you reading?"  
"It's about medicine. I'm studying it at Angeles University."  
"So you live in Angeles? I thought you were from Honduras."  
"Yes, I am. I'm just studying here, and took a break this year because of the Selection."  
"Oh." Tatiana nodded.  
"What about you?"  
"Currently working as photographer. I did drama school for a year but stopped. I think I want to go to film school, but I haven't decided anything yet."  
"Drama?" Rhosyn nodded. "Oh. Interesting."  
"Do you like it?"  
"I don't really have time for that." She admitted. "Studying takes lots of time, and I want to be a doctor."  
"So, what do you do for fun?"  
"Uh…" Rhosyn blinked. "Not much. School work takes most of my time. Med school is challenging."  
"But what about school?" Tatiana asked. "Don't tell me you spent all of school studying."  
"I did, pretty much. I always wanted to be a doctor, so I always focused on that."  
"What about friends?" Tatiana laughed. She couldn't believe that Rhosyn could spend all time studying. "I mean, I'm not bad at school, but- you can't really spend all time studying, can you?"  
"You can. I did."  
"But, you need a social life."  
"Nah." Rhosyn shrugged. "I'm fine as I am."

Tatiana wasn't exactly a model extrovert either, but still, she had friends (if more online than in reality). Rhosyn's dedication amazed her quite a bit. Unsure what to say, she remained silent.

That was until the stick flew above her head and landed behind her.

"Huh?" Tatiana blinked. Rhosyn was just as surprised as Tatiana.  
"Someone must have thrown it." Rhosyn remarked, and looked around.

Seconds later, Rock dashed after the stick, picked up and eagerly stopped in front of the two girls, expecting one of them to throw it. Tatiana picked it up again, and threw it again.

"Maybe the owner of the dog? Someone walking it?" Tatiana suggested.  
"Well, I doubt that sticks throw themselves, so, yeah." Rhosyn nodded, watching the dog dashing again.  
"Do you like dogs?"  
Rhosyn nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'm more of a dog person, I'd say."  
"Same."

The stick flew towards them again.

"There we go again." Tatiana picked it up and threw. "The mystery of the Selection – who is the other stick thrower?"  
"That sounds like movie premise."  
"Well…" Tatiana looked to Rhosyn. "I should tell dad that."  
"Huh?"  
"That sounds like a base for a horror movie. Or crime story. Thirty-five girls invited to live in a fairy tale castle, but creepy things keep happening, and then someone dies."  
Rhosyn shivered. "I don't like horror movies."  
"Me neither. Nowadays, they just rely on jump scare."  
"You know your art." Rhosyn remarked. "You mentioned film school, I believe?"  
Tatiana nodded. "Yeah. My dad's a director, and I think I want to be one too."  
"That sounds nice. What movies has he made?"  
"I thought you spend all your time studying?" Tatiana laughed.  
"I might have heard of them!" Rhosyn defend herself; she smiled too.

 *** . * . ***

Just like Tatiana and Rhosyn, Isadora didn't stay in her rooms. She didn't wander around planlessly though, and didn't intend to go and read outside either; she was intending to leave the palace grounds.

On her phone was a map of the city around the palace. She wanted to see how far it was to the next larger shopping centre was. Maybe look for clubs too, that sounded like a good idea. She stopped soon though – she too had to look at the map of the palace.

"Hey, uh, excuse me?"  
Isadora, uninterested, looked up to find an Asian-looking girl waiting in front of her. She was nervously playing with her hair and looking around.  
"What."  
She wasn't here to make friends. Sure, she could, but why bother? She didn't intend to stay for long, if at all. Preferably, she wanted to be among the first batch of girls to be eliminated.  
"Uh, do you know the way to the entrance?"  
"No." Well, her map did.  
"But…" Mayli pointed to the map.  
"I don't know it, but the map does."  
"Oh…" Mayli blinked. "Uh, could I…"  
"I'm heading there too, just follow me." Isadora rolled her eyes.  
"So, I'm Mayli. Mayli Yi, from Atlin. What about you?"  
"Isadora Bonovich." Isadora sighed. "Clermont."  
"Oh, cool! Nice to meet you." She smiled. "I saw your movie in a few movies, she seems to be really great."  
"Yeah." Sarcasm.  
"I'd love to have a mother like her. So successful." Sarcasm that Mayli didn't catch. "Do you like acting too?"  
"No."  
"What do you like?"  
"Ballet."  
"Oh, that's amazing. It's beautiful, isn't it? I took ballet classes until just now."  
"Did you?"  
"Yes. I mean, I'm not serious or anything, but it's fun. I couldn't work as professional though." Mayli answered. "I am studying law and work as a model sometimes, but that's it."  
"Aha." Jealously filled Isadora. Her oh-so-perfect mother couldn't even allow her mother to attend amateur ballet lessons, but some random girl in the Selection, of course, had to be doing it. And studying law. And working as model. God knew if herm other would accept modelling, but she'd most certainly love to see Isadora doing a law degree.  
"What else do you like?"  
"Shopping. Clubbing." You shutting up, Isadora added.  
"Shopping? It's fun, isn't it? I was going to go and get some clothes. I don't really have anything for this evening…"  
"What's happening?"  
"Didn't you read the instructions?" Mayli asked, pointing towards the paper.  
"No."  
"There's a banquet, and-" Isadora sighed theatrically. "It's black tie, so formal wear."  
"Whatever." She surely had something in her suitcase. Her mother had insisted on some clothes to go with her. Presumably formal wear, now that she thought about it. That sounded like her.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Dunno. Outside. See where good shopping centres are."  
"Great! We can go together!"  
"Uh-" Isadora was about to respond that she intended to go alone, but Mayli had clearly already decided that Isadora was her newest best friend. She happily smiled at Isadora and even skipped while they were walking towards the entrance hall.  
"How old are you?" Twelve?  
"Nineteen."  
"Ah." Three years difference, no thanks.  
"What about you?"  
"Twenty-two."  
"Cool! What are you doing?"  
"Walking, duh."  
"Not now." Mayli laughed. "Like, job-wise. Do you study?"  
"No."  
"Job?"  
"No."  
"What else?"  
"Rich, privileged white kid here." Okay, that might be a bit harsh, but Mayli seemed to skip over it.  
"You're rich? Awesome! Do you also live in a palace?"  
"No, that isn't really a thing for most people."  
"That was a joke." Now she laughed.

They reached the entrance hall, and stepped into the bright sunlight of the afternoon. Isadora briefly regretted not taking her sunglasses, but before she could turn around to get them, Mayli grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the road.  
"Let's go! I can't wait to explore the city."  
"Wait, what?"

She never volunteered or signed up to go shopping with the nineteen years old-walking sunshine-kid. Nor did she want to – she wanted to be alone in peace. Process that she had to play in the Selection, and pretend that she believed someone could find their 'true love' in it.

"Come on! Hurry!"  
"No!" Isadora called out, but Mayli ignored her. She only stopped when they reached the opposite site of the road in front of the palace. At least Mayli couldn't sprint in high heels that long. Instead of being exhausted or apologising for pulling her along, she just laughed though. She laughed and looked around curiously in the next second. Then she pulled Isadora again, towards the central city.

Isadora sighed. She hadn't signed up for it, but Mayli had done that for her, apparently.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

 **I imagine Angeles Palace in a Victorian style.**

 **Also, disclaimer on the 'woof'; English isn't my first language and I asked some friends about how to say 'meow' but for dogs, and that was what I got. Do you say he, she or it to a dog? ?_?**

 **I really enjoy writing Isadora (also because she's easy for me to write if I interpret her correctly), but the other girls are fun too. Everyone's kinda introverted / anti-social-ish, so I'm most likely gonna force them into polite conversations until I've developed enough for them to naturally end up together.**

 **I have a Pinterest board for TRH where you can find the outfits for upcoming events (which kinda spoilers the events…? But welp). I hope I met your character's style. :3**

 **Also, screw the note from last chapter. I've got stuff written up until Chapter 12, so I'll be fine with updating once a week. I'm going with Sunday because I don't want to need to remember updating during the week. :3**

 **(Also, I hope I was able to correct the things you mentioned in the Reviews. The website wasn't nice to me. _ (also, yes, this sentence originally looked weird. Blame the website, again.))**


	6. The World Calling

**6**

 **The World Calling**

In the duration of one day, the amount of people residing in the palace increased from not-too-many to not-too-many plus thirty-five. While to some degree, Michael was used to being surrounded by people, the thought of having _these_ thirty-five girls in the palace _scared_ him.

The day absolutely counted as one of these days where he wished that being the Crown Prince of Illéa meant that he had some fancy superpower, magic or a dragon in the backyard, and not just a dog following him wherever he went.

Petting Rock had as much therapy effect as colouring his sister's old colouring books that he had stolen (well borrowed with the intention to return them once he was done). That was good, because by the time, the sun started to set above the skyline of his hometown, he was a nerve wreck.

"Why are you even scared?" He asked his mirror reflection confused. "You'll somehow find a way out. Worst case, you can leak that you were forced into this, right? That you just pretended. That this is a terrible mistake."

At least his mind was clear. That was more than he had expected. At least he had Rihanna watching his back. He just needed to hope that the Red Herring wasn't going to be an issue for long. That they were just stupid terrorists who enjoyed the violence and fear they were causing. That they would be found and stopped soon.

"You are expected at the banquet in twenty minutes, your highness." A butler employed by his family announced.

"Yes, yes." He waved him off. "I won't even need to meet them today. Just be in the same room." He told himself.

That couldn't be that difficult, right?

 *** . * . ***

Rhosyn glared into the mirror of her room.

The black dress and the black heels hadn't been chosen by herself. Her mother had given her outfits and instructions on formal clothes. On casual clothes. On everything appearance related. Ask your sister-in-law if you need to buy more. She knows and will help you, her mother had said.

"She trusts me with doctor business, but not with clothes." Rhosyn concluded. "Well… Pretty much what I want, huh."

"Miss Reynolds? The banquet will be opened in ten minutes. You are expected to be present then." A palace staff reminded her – now for the second time. Rhosyn closed her eyes. Not much more else to do but looking in her mirror, or go down early.

Going down early gave her two outcomes. She'd either miss being a part of the majority of guests entering which was going to be filmed for sure, or she would arrive early and thus might be spoken to by either the press or anyone else important. Or she'd be late, but that wasn't acceptable.

Tatiana was going to be there too, and she was, at least, someone nice. Sure, they had only spoken for a moment, but that was at least something. Too bad that there was a seating arrangement, and that meant that there was a little chance for her be with Tatiana.

It was just eating. She had done that before.

Eventually, she entered the hall of the banquet five minutes before she was expected, but apparently, some other girls had the same ideas. Glancing over their chosen outfits, she was glad to realise that her black dress allowed her to blend in; she wasn't wearing overly colourful or glittering clothes.

"Miss Reynolds, is it?" A butler spoke to her, and she nodded. Seconds later, he announced her loudly, making her shiver. Apparently, that was tradition, she was told afterwards. "You are seated over there." The butler then added, and Rhosyn gladly thanked.

The table was large, yes, but spread through the whole hall while still allowing more than enough space to sit. While being shown her seat, she had no chance of figuring out who would sit with her, but it was on the middle of the left 'wing' of the table.

"Rhosyn?" Tatiana stepped next to her. "Are you seated here too?" She had chosen a strapless, dark dress with purple accents. Beautiful, and it would catch the attention if they stood together, Rhosyn hoped.  
"Yes. You are too?" Rhosyn asked.  
Tatiana nodded. "On the other side."  
"That's rather nice." Rhosyn admitted.  
"Yeah. I'm glad to have a friend nearby."

A friend? Rhosyn wouldn't have expected such a table on their second meeting, but then again, none of them knew how long they would stay in the palace at all.  
"Good evening, ladies." Someone behind them spoke up. Both girls turned around, recognising the prime minister of Illéa.  
"Prime Minister, good evening to you too." Tatiana shily spoke. At least she had just as little idea of how to deal with high society as Rhosyn had.  
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance." The prime minister announced. "Truly glad, indeed. Miss Reynolds." He turned to Rhosyn. "I heard that your family works as doctors?"  
"Uh… Yes." Rhosyn nodded. "Yes, we do."  
"And that your father is treating the Princess at the moment?"  
"I wouldn't know. Doctor-patient relationships are private. He cannot tell me anything about their patients, especially not their identities."  
"Of course." The prime minister smiled overly polite. A wrong, faked smile, Rhosyn decided. He was just being polite. "If you excuse me, then." The prime minister nodded and left.

"Your father is a doctor too?" Tatiana asked once he had left.  
"My mother and brother too. And my grandparents. It's tradition, so to say."  
"So you must get along with them well."  
"I do, but…"  
"Huh?"  
"Nothing, don't worry about it." They weren't _that_ close yet.  
"Let's sit down then." Tatiana suggested, and Rhosyn nodded. More and more people were entering, and sitting down as well. She wasn't sure if they were selected – maybe there was a protocol about standing up? – but no one stopped them, yet.

 *** . * . ***

Yes, Mayli had style. Some at least, Isadora thought when she had seen Mayli's selected outfit for the evening. She herself hadn't reached the entrance to the hall yet but briefly noticed Mayli in her purple dress entering. A model, indeed. She walked like one.

"Miss Y…"  
"Isadora Bonovich." Isadora corrected the butler quietly before he was able to say anything loudly. He repeated the correct announcement not much later. "Thank you." She added

She stepped into the room with grace, but also aware. People were turning to her. Important people, not the girls invited. She noticed the prime minister standing in the distance looking to her. She noticed guests she had seen or even met before through her family too.

Isadora also couldn't care less. Her dark blue polka dot dress was, looking back, maybe not the best decision. Something dark, basic would have allowed her to disappear in the background easily. People would have had more trouble finding her, and that crown princeling wouldn't notice her either. No chance for him to like her, even in the most unlikely case.

Yes, she was considering approaching Mayli, but she was cheerfully speaking to other girls, and her never-ending energy had worn her out. She was too happy, and Isadora was perfectly content with her cold, empty mood.

"Hello. Isadora, was it?" Someone said when she reached the end of the table. That girl from today's morning. Tatiana Loveren, Isadora remembered.  
"Good evening." The other girl, Rhosyn Reynolds, added with a polite nod.  
"You are wearing a nice dress." Tatiana politely added.  
"Thank you." Empty words, but then again, she was glad. Her mother rarely influenced her style completely. Rules, yes, but overall, they somewhat agreed. Maybe she had inherited that little thing from her. The only thing she had inherited.

"You are seated here too?" Another girl, Katherine Rhodes, sat down with them too. "It's nice to see you again." God knew how serious she was with her words. At least her dress – purple filled with flowers and butterflies – would be more attention catching.  
"Apparently."  
"So, you may only sit here if you wear black or purple?" Katherine noted when taking her seat.  
Tatiana smiled gently. "Yes, apparently it is."  
"Pardon me, my dress is blue. Dark blue." Isadora insisted; half-joking, half-serious.  
"Alright, purple, black and dark blue?" Tatiana suggested. "Although, you could count as black."  
"Dark blue." Isadora now joked. "Do they have wine here?"  
"Yes, they have."

"Good evening." Another girl, blonde too, sat besides Katherine. Katherine, Tatiana and the new one on one side, Rhosyn and Isadora on the other. "I am Rihanna. Pleasured to meet you." She had manners too, but she seemed genuine.  
"From where are you?"  
"Angeles."  
"Angeles? So, you've grown here?" Katherine asked.  
"Yes, I have." Rihanna smiled. She adjusted her skirt and sat down next to Rhosyn. The purple-blue dress was certainly beautiful, and expensive.  
"Where is your dress from?" Isadora asked curious but absentminded.  
"…" Rihanna's smile froze. "It belongs to my best friend. We've always shared clothes. She wouldn't mind." Her words seemed more of a reassurance to herself though.

Now, Mayli joined them too. "Good evening!" She smiled happily. "I am Mayli Yi. It's nice to meet you all."  
"Hello." Rihanna nodded. "I am Rihanna." The other three introduced themselves to Mayli and Rihanna while Mayli sat down next to Rihanna. Not too soon afterwards, other girls noticed that it seemed time for her to sit down. Isadora recognised her, but others apparently didn't.  
"Hello." Mayli smiled at her. "I am Mayli Yi. What about you?"  
"Cecilia Stark." She politely sat down, but similarly to Rihanna and Katherine, she did it with grace. She was acquainted to the upper class.

Another round of introductions, and it became clearer to Isadora who had been in upper class circles before, and who hadn't. Mayli wasn't – she was too jumpy and happy about this. She seemed to have money somewhere, but money didn't equal the status. She wasn't upper class. She was middle class with money.

Tatiana was the daughter to an actress – Mayli's fangirling about the actor relatives of some selected had given her the necessary background – and a movie director. She knew the red carpet, but not the rich class. She was close to the upper class, but just close.

So was Rhosyn. Her family name rung a bell, but she wasn't completely in. They tried though, it seemed. Points for trying, but they hadn't gotten in yet. Well, until now. Now, Rhosyn was a guest of the highest family in Illéa by the high society's standards.

Katherine? Rhodes didn't rung a bell as much as Prescott. Prescott meant Prescott-Rhodes, and there she found the connection. Katherine was related to the real estate empire. Katherine hailed from a good and wealthy family. She was in a strong position, if her family name counted. Somehow, what Isadora had heard from the prince, that didn't mean anything to _him_.

Cecilia? Given. A Stark, the Stark. The daughter of the late prime minister. Twenty-two too; one of the oldest girls selected here. A law graduate, a member of her father's party. She had grown up in politics. She would be one too – everyone expected that. So… what did she do in the Crown Prince's Selection? Politics and royalty didn't mix. That was unwritten law.

And then there was Rihanna. Rihanna who was curiously talking to the other girls, questioning their hobbies and interests. She had the etiquette, but she hadn't seen her ever before, or had she? She wasn't sure. Rihanna looked familiar.  
"Rihanna, darling," Isadora spoke up, in the sweetest voice she could fake. "what was your surname again?"  
Rihanna smiled knowing. "I haven't mentioned it."  
"Well?"  
"Lorde. Rihanna Lorde."  
That name did ring a bell too. Not a strong family name for sure, but different. Silvestre Lorde. Rihanna Lorde. She was related to the press secretary, even though their skin colour was completely. "Are you a… nice or so of the press secretary? Miss Lorde?"  
"She is my mother."  
"Your… mother?" Katherine was visibly surprised. "But…"  
"I'm adopted, duh." Rihanna laughed. "I mean," She fetched a strand of her blonde hair. "I look closer to my best friend than her."  
"Your best friend?"  
"Oh, she's just known for her blonde hair around… us. Our friends."  
"Ah…" Katherine nodded. "Do you not…"

Rihanna sighed theatrically. "Please don't pull the 'Oh, poor orphan' thing. I don't mind it. I mean, why should I care about parents who gave me away? I'm fine as I am. I'm Rihanna Lorde, and happy with it. I don't know anything about them, and I don't care either."  
"I see." Cecilia leaned back. "So that was how you got into the Selection? Through your mother? Presuming it was coincidence would be ridiculous."  
"I presume that a Stark didn't get in through luck either." Katherine added cold. She didn't seem to like Cecilia's open attack.  
"Or the daughter of Lillian Prescott?" Isadora didn't take sides, but she couldn't help but answer. "I doubt that Alexandria Bonovich would have allowed chance to decide if her daughter would participate."  
"…" Katherine remained quiet. "My mother didn't know I signed up until after the Selected were announced."  
"So you believe." Cecilia remarked.  
"I believe her." Rihanna smiled.  
"Why? Why wouldn't she have gotten in based on anything but her name?"  
"Because I know who 'drew the names'. Because I know more than you do, Cecilia." Rihanna added.  
"Pardon me?"  
"Her mother is in charge of the Selection." Rhosyn spoke out. "I presume that she does know things we don't. Whenever that is allowed or not is another question though…"  
"I actually more meant that Mike told me, but details." Rihanna nodded. "I like you guys." She said, while glaring coldly into Cecilia's eyes. Isadora chuckled. She didn't like Cecilia at all for sure.  
"Who is Mike? A member of the organisation team?" Tatiana asked.

Isadora wouldn't have known whenever Rihanna would have answered that question. People all around them rose, and Rihanna was the first to follow them. Cecilia followed seconds later. Katherine and Isadora realised why too, without looking, but Rhosyn, Tatiana and Mayli, in that order, took a moment to follow, confused why.

"His Majesty, King Richard the Second of Illéa, and His Highness, Crown Prince Michael of Illéa."

Protocol. Etiquette. High society.

She hated to play the game, but at least, she wasn't the worst at it.

"And so it starts." Rihanna whispered with a sinister smile, just loud enough for the girls to hear the words.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Note**

 **Thank you very much for your sweet reviews. 3**

 **The website, Ff .net didn't seem to particularly like my final remark, making it seem like I meant to say that the reviews weren't nice to me; the Author's Note from last chapter has been fixed.**


	7. Take A Hint

**7**

 **Take A Hint**

Naturally, Tatiana payed attention once she came to realise what was happening. She noticed that the Crown Prince not once seemed to look at any of the thirty-five girls who immediately started chatting. Well, not all of them did. Some remained quiet and watched carefully, and some watched in awe.

Tatiana wasn't sure what to think, but she saw that he was a bad enough actor. His face was meant to look neutral and calm, but in the end, it was frozen. Was he scared, she wondered. Was he happy or unhappy, she wondered. Or was it the pain of what else was happening in his life, of his mother's death and his sister's coma what was making him cold?

He sat down next to his father, the King. He seemed much more adept in pretending to be neutral, to be calm than his son. Experience, maybe.

The King rose, and only know, she noticed the imbalance of the table. Someone was meant to sit next to the King. Two people. For mere seconds, Michael glanced to where two seats were gone. Yes. In the end, it had to be the Queen's death and the Princesses' coma. Cute, somewhat, she thought. He cared for his family, even if the press spoke otherwise.

"My dear guests." The King spoke up, calm and slow. "I welcome you to Angeles Palace. I extend my special greetings to my son's guest as well." He added, while glancing over the thirty-five girls. There was something in his eyes, but she couldn't place it. Curiosity? Happiness? Laughter?

"I do not intend to speak for long. I am no politician" A joke made at the prime minister's expense, visibly. She saw the prime minister looking aside, but also noticed Cecilia rolling her eyes. "but I have a few words to say. To you, my guests, but also the people who spend their precious time watching me talk."

"Today, we revive a new tradition. The Selection is from times where our beloved Illéa was ruled by people we see as strangers today. I mean no word towards or against my ancestors, but I do not heed the belief that being someone's child makes you capable of ruling."

Once again, Cecilia breathed in sharply.

"I do see, that people might oppose the House Schreave to stand as head of state too, but it is tradition that reminds of who we are too. Change and tradition should go hand-in-hand. All these years, the Selection was a common thing. Change came but now we revive it, changed. I appreciate the effort the staff, led by my trusted friend Silvestre Lorde," Silvestre, sitting next to the King, next to the Princess had she been there, smiled gently, and Rihanna beamed with pride. "and acknowledge that it has caused them quite a few nights without sleep." Some people in the hall chuckled. Silvestre was one of them, Rihanna too, and now, the prince's frozen mask fell and he laughed quietly. "I doubt that things will change in the next five days, and I honestly hope not," A message directed to his son, obviously, who leaned back into his chair. With a more relaxed expression. "simply because our guests – from what I have seen – are lovely. I do not know why you have come here, but I sincerely hope that you will find joy in these days. I hope that we _all_ ," A word he strangely emphasized. "will enjoy them and find ourselves changed for the better."

"And now, before we die of hunger here… Let's eat."

While the food arrived, Rihanna seemed to be preoccupied with looking somewhere, Mayli struggled with deciding which fork to use. There were multiple, but fortunately, Tatiana had seen enough movies in which the main character took the wrong fork.

"It's the outer one." Isadora spoke up without bothering to glance up from her food. She seemed annoyed, but also laughing a bit.  
Mayli blushed. "Oh… Thanks." She took the fork into her right hand, and was about to eat, when Isadora sighed.  
"If you are only using one hand, put the other one on your lap."  
"Oh… Thanks."  
Tatiana looked to Isadora surprised. She hadn't expected her to anyhow know that, but hadn't the girls just had a discussion about their families getting them into the Selection? Thinking of it, weren't they worried that someone else would tell someone? Like the press or the Crown Prince?  
"Uh… About just before, aren't you worried about someone leaking that you guys didn't get in by chance?"  
Without looking up, Rihanna responded. "You didn't either, Tatiana."  
"Sorry?"  
"Your mum." She looked up. "Having the kid of some actress catches the attention of her fans, ergo more people will pay attention to it. And, about leaking, no. Not really."  
"What if the Crown Prince learns it?"  
"Mike knows about it." Rihanna shrugged. "I mean, he was literally with me when I decided to join."  
"… Pardon?"

The seven girls felt silent, with everyone looking to Rihanna. How it came to be that the other guests didn't notice their conversation, Tatiana didn't know, but the background chatter and the musicians playing the national anthem in the background went on as if nothing had happened.

"Mike was fine with it too."  
"Who… Mike?" Cecilia repeated.  
"Michael. Michael Schreave." Rihanna rose her hand and pointed to the prince. "That guy there."  
"You know him." Rhosyn was surprised.  
"Yeah. I mean, he's the brother of my best friend, so, it kinda' goes hand-in-hand. And our mums are – were – best friends too."  
"… You are the best friend of Princess Emilia." Katherine spoke out.  
"Yep." Rihanna nodded. "We are."  
"But… She's…" Tatiana went on.  
"Yes, Emmy is comatose." Rihanna sighed. Her smile disappeared. "But Emmy is strong. She'll be okay again."

Rihanna returned to eating. Isadora hadn't even looked up when they had been talking, but Katherine and Rhosyn both seemed to need a moment to deal with that information. Tatiana wasn't. If Rihanna knew Michael, didn't she have a real advantage? She wasn't just some random stranger, but already had an established relationship with him. And if Michael had been with her when she had decided to sign up, that implied that he was fine with her participating. Maybe he even fancied her?

"Although, I gotta admit, I'm surprised."  
"Of what?" Katherine's voice was colder again.  
"You don't appear to recognise each other."  
"Should we? What do you mean?" Rhosyn asked confused.  
Rihanna dropped her fork. "Rhosyn Rhodes. Graduated from Saint J. Hunton-Vanderbilt two years ago. Tatiana Loveren. Graduated Saint J. Hunton-Vanderbilt two years ago. Isadora Bonovich-"  
"We get it." Isadora rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but I didn't exactly socialise at school. It was a waste of time in the first place."  
"… The same goes for me, I must admit." Rhosyn nodded. "I spend most of my time studying."  
"I only went there for high school."  
"Well, I at least recognise Katherine." Cecilia spoke up. "We were in the same year group."  
"So were Rhosyn and I though."  
"But I knew Kathy. We shared some classes."

Tatiana looked to Katherine who was overly focused on eating her dinner. She didn't even look to Cecilia, so there was no way they were close.  
"I didn't attend the school…" Mayli admitted.  
"Yeah, you didn't." Rihanna nodded. "I mean, I did, but from the Selected, I only knew Cecilia before. Still surprised though; I did know most of my year group, even though I mainly hung around Emmy."  
"I do remember that Emilia attended the school, yes, but I never spoke to anyone in your year." Rhosyn answered. "You were a year below us, right?"  
Rihanna nodded. "Yep. At least, if mum's info is correct. Which I hope it is."  
"Kathy and I must be… How old are you again?" Cecilia, ignoring Rihanna, looked to Rhosyn and Tatiana.  
"Twenty."  
"Then we both were two years above you guys." Cecilia admitted. "Although, of course, Kathy was the baby of our year group."  
"The baby?" Tatiana repeated.  
"I am twenty."  
"Right, you mentioned that you graduated earlier." Rhosyn remembered. "And I didn't meet Tatiana before because I spent most time studying and we just never shared classes in high school. Same for Isadora, I guess."  
"What a fun coincidence!" Mayli clapped cheerfully.

Isadora rolled her eyes annoyed when Mayli gained the attention of the other guests, but Mayli didn't seem to mind it. Cecilia ignored her, pretending not to know her – which turned out to be a good idea; most guests were more than confused from Mayli's cheerful call.

"Well, what do you think about the food?" Cecilia asked.  
"I like-" Tatiana was interrupted.  
"That's the best you can come up with?" Rihanna sighed. "Like, you could have gone with something more interesting, _Cecilia_."  
"Oh, what would you suggest, _Rihanna_?" Cecilia smiled awfully sweet.  
"Something more sophisticated for a person of your position, but I might just overestimated you." The two didn't like each other; it didn't require much of Tatiana to understand that.  
"My sincerest apologies, Rihanna. I am sure we can discuss a more elaborate topic. What about how it is to live on your best friend's expenses?"  
"Pardon me?"  
"The Princess has worn the dress before. You are about the same size; it's obviously her's."  
"Yes, it is, but Emmy and I-"  
"I apologise to have overestimated your linguistic capabilities; I expected a selected to be capable of understanding that the correct address for Her Highness is either Princess Emilia of Illéa or Her Highness, not 'Emmy'."  
"… I'm pretty sure that that has nothing to do with linguistics." Katherine mumbled under her breath, still not looking up. Rihanna chuckled; she had heard it too.  
Cecilia smiled. "But, on the other hand, what do you think of him? The Crown Prince, I mean."  
"Uh, it's a competition. Should you really share that so openly?" Rihanna then stocked. "But, go ahead if you want to."  
"Well, _you_ are no competition."  
"Excuse me?"  
"You're either just a friend or more than that. If it's the first, you're no competition and friendzoned. If it's the second, then there is no competition."  
"Seriously?" That was enough; Tatiana was angry. "Why are you bashing at Rihanna like that? What did she do to you? I mean, sure, she knows him, but so do you, I guess. I am sure you've met him before. We all have our own advantages and disadvantages, and Rihanna is at least open about it, and nice, and not a bitch who looks for fights."  
She was about to stand up, but Rhosyn pulled her down. "She's not worth it."  
"She's a bitch."  
"Agreed." Rihanna smiled innocently.  
"You aren't going to get far like this."  
"Are we now?" Rihanna leaned back. "Because I don't think that is in your hand."  
Cecilia sighed. "It's a disgrace for me to even need to sit here."  
"No one's stopping you from leaving early." Tatiana shot back.  
"Do you even know who my father is?"  
"Yeah, I do. Dead."  
Isadora couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud.

 *** . * . ***

Cecilia glanced between the guests. The dinner had ended – finally, sitting with Rihanna had been a pain – but most people were still talking to each other. Well, that, and most of the girls didn't seem to have much of an idea when they could leave; she already had found one pair of high heels in the corner.

Whatever.

Cecilia straightened her back; she needed to solve this. Somehow. She wasn't going to bother with this the whole time.

Dodging a few people who approached her with a polite "Miss Stark, would you-" and pretending not to have heard them, she managed to get from one side of the hall to the other. Talking to John Greene had been… well, as boring as it always was.

"It's been a while, hello." She smiled sweetly – her camera smile – when she found herself standing in front of the Iléan Crown Prince who, until just now, had been talking to a relative.  
"Cecilia? Oh, hello." Michael answered hesitant. "How can I help you?"  
"Oh, I just wanted to say hello."  
"… Hello?"  
Cecilia laughed. "How are you doing? We haven't seen each other in a while."  
"I'm good…?" Michael answered while glancing to the side. Cecilia followed his glance – Silvestre. Rihanna's mother, out of all people.  
"Say, how come that Rihanna is in the Selection? Isn't she Emilia's best friend?"  
"Yeah, she is." Michael nodded. "And…?"  
"I'm just surprised. I mean, I don't know you two too well, but she never stroke me as…"  
Michael sighed. "Cecilia, please, don't tell me you're buying this."  
"I wouldn't know what you're talking about, Your Highness." A blunt lie, and he got that.  
"How come you are here?"  
Ouch. "It's a rather long story."  
"You have better stuff to do with your time."  
"Are you implying that you don't want me here?"  
"No, but-"  
"It's difficult, I know. It's not easy to live like this."  
"Pardon me?"  
"You've been glancing to Miss Lorde the whole time. Worried about the press again?"  
"No, I-"  
"It's fine, really." Cecilia smiled. "Although, I must admit that I am slightly worried about Rihanna's behaviour…"  
"What do you mean?" Michael was confused.  
"She's been… looking for fights, or so I feel."  
She couldn't read his expression. "Ah."  
"And she has been… emphasising her advantage quite a bit."  
"What advantage?"  
"That she's Emilia's best friend, of course."  
"How is that an advantage." Michael shrugged. "And? Then she is my sister's best friend."  
"She knows you. Some could consider that cheating."  
"All is fair in love and war?" Michael quoted; more laughing at himself than being serious. "Seriously, I don't see her having any advantage. If even a disadvantage."  
"Still…"  
"And, what about you? I knew you before too."  
"Yes, but… You cannot call a few meetings knowing someone as well as your close friends."  
Michael shook his head. "Nah, it'll be fine. I did some research. Well, Sam did, and it says that Queen Eadlyn had someone in her Selection she had known before too. She'll be fine, don't worry about her."  
"Oh, no, I'm worried about you, Michael." Cecilia smiled sweetly. "What if someone uses that against _you_?"  
Michael laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure that the press has better things to do. And if they want someone on me, I'm sure they already have something."  
"Please… I _know_ the pressure. I am Alexander Stark's daughter after all."  
"Yeah, yeah." Michael waved it off.  
"People always expect us to live up to our parents' legacies, but how are we meant to do that if we are just ourselves?"  
"You sound like a depressed Tumblr post."  
"… Pardon me?" Cecilia asked, surprised and slightly annoyed. She was trying to build something for them to bound over, and he was comparing her to Tumblr? Out of all social media, Tumblr?!  
"Yeah. You sound like one of these depressed Tumblr posts." Michael nodded, completely naïve.  
"I… Uh…" Cecilia sighed. Gosh, he either was being oblivious on purpose, or it was a miracle how all these nightlife rumours had come to be.  
"Well, see you tomorrow. I'm not meant to talk to you guys until then, officially, because… I dunno. Silvestre said so."  
"Uh… Sure?"

Michael walked away from her without her having a chance to say anything. Cecilia sighed. She'd need to up her game if she was going for the win. Being save for a while didn't mean that she'd be safe for the whole Selection.

 *** . * . ***

 **Michael:** Hey, Rihanna? You know how you told me about Cecilia and the bitch fight?  
 **Rihanna:** What did she do? Spill the juice.  
 **Michael:** She came up to me being all "Oh I know how it feels to be in the spotlight 24/7" and all. Like, she wasn't even good.  
 **Rihanna:** She's a politician, not an actor lol.  
 **Michael:** Oh, and she was like "Rihanna is using your friendship as an advantage"  
 **Rihanna:** Says Miss Stark who wants to be treated like a princess.  
 **Samuel:** Are there any nice people in the batch? The only thing you report is that they're bitch fighting.  
 **Rihanna:** I didn't talk to many, Sam. Some girls I spoke to at dinner were OK, but then again, they were kinda blant?  
 **Rihanna:** Oh, expect, Isadora was fun and sarcastic. Rhosyn and Tatiana and she were in the same year at school but didn't know each other. Tatiana's cool.  
 **Rihanna:** Katherine was nice too; I loved her comment to Cecilia throwing together fancy words.  
 **Rihanna:** And there's this cute Asian girl, Miley, who just smiled 24/7.  
 **Samuel:** Are you sure that it's not spelled May'li or Mayli? That's an actual Chinese name, I think.  
 **Rihanna:** Might me, dunno.  
 **Michael:** The girl who clapped?  
 **Michael:** I saw her.  
 **Michael:** What happened?  
 **Rihanna:** The "coincidence" that we all (but her, rip) went to the same school.  
 **Michael:** Oh  
 **Samuel:** Anyone he should look for?  
 **Rihanna:** No but throw Cecilia out please. I can't stand her.  
 **Michael:** She's on the 'keep' list, Greene gave me. Unless she does something stupid, I can't throw her out until get down to 10 girls.  
 **Rihanna:** damn it  
 **Rihanna:** Can you, idk, just ignore her?  
 **Samuel:** That's gonna make her even more suspicious. She's just gonna turn everyone against you and you can't supply insider info anymore.  
 **Rihanna:** welp  
 **Rihanna:** How's your job going, btw?  
 **Samuel:** I am to start tomorrow.  
 **Michael:** Are you anywhere around me? Please. I gotta talk to all of them and pretend to care.  
 **Samuel:** No.  
 **Samuel:** And I feel like Silvestre did that on purpose.  
 **Michael:** damn it  
 **Rihanna:** Just go with "Impress me" or so, and have the girls lead the conversation.  
 **Michael:** Yeah. I'll prolly go with that.  
 **Samuel:** Good luck tomorrow.  
 **Rihanna:** Have fun : 3 haha  
 **Michael:** Very funny.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Note**

 **Cookies to the people who notice the insider in the chapter.**

 **Another advertisement for the Discord server: discord . gg / pjY8GE7 (erase the spaces). I often post some teasers (Hi Celegra 3) there, and might discuss things that have influence on the plot. ;)**


	8. Don't Panic

**8**

 **Don't Panic**

"Up or down?"

Africa Oaks glared into the mirror in her bathroom while fidgeting with her hair. She hadn't eaten yet - apparently, unless the girls made agreements between themselves, breakfast was served alone – and she hadn't even come to decide what to wear. The yellow evening gown from yesterday evening was out of question – she had already worn it once, for starters, and that wasn't exactly a good choice of style for a first meeting with a Crown Prince.

"Actually, it would be." She corrected herself while starting to brush her brown hair again. He was a prince, but the dress code was casual, so an evening gown was absolutely out of question. She didn't want to look too basic either; she didn't just want to be "One of Thirty-Five Girls"; she at least had to get further up. Elite, at least. Not that she actually intended to marry the Crown Prince – that'd destroy her career! She'd need to give up acting, and that was a no-go – but just being in and out of the palace wouldn't be helpful for it either.

"Up." She decided. Next was an outfit. If the evening gown didn't work, then maybe something simple yet stylish? She had no idea what the other girls were going to wear. She had sat with a group of girls who looked like they were going to a high school prom. Not that she had been to one, but she had acted in a high school movie.

The white long shirt and the dark pants. Basic, but stylish. It even looked like something, the Queen would have worn too. Maybe a necklace, bracelets, a watch and earrings. A handbag – she needed to carry her stuff somehow. Sunglasses if they went outside; the weather was good.

"Right, and shoes." Africa decided; they were an easy decision.

The outfit was put on carefully, followed by make-up. While Africa was occupied with that, her breakfast arrived too. Said breakfast was certainly good, but Africa was more occupied with her phone, reading through the news and checking social media.

She was particularly curious about the impression, all Selected had made on the press and the people. Some had caught the public's attention with their dresses (herself being one of them; but that was probably more because she had a name of her own) while others were mentioned for who they were; she noticed names of the high society being mentioned all over Twitter. Cecilia Stark was the most prominent. People liked her, but she took caught people's attention through her name. Her pink-pastel-ish dress wasn't exactly Africa's taste. The girl from Angeles, Rihanna, had probably the most discussions about her dress – a purple one whose attention came from the fact that no one else but Princess Emilia had worn it before. Some called it stupid, some called it an insult to the beloved princess, and some called her copy-cat, but others remarked that her surname, Lorde, was the same as the surname of the woman in charge of the Selection.

"No one interesting, huh?" She wondered while continuing to scroll. She recognised the girls from yesterday's evening, but none of them was particularly eye catching. Isadora Bonovich was complimented for her style, and she was probably the first after Angeles' and Likely's representative to catch her attention. Bonovich. Alexandria Bonovich. They looked familiar too – somewhat.

"Time to google." Africa decided, and opened the browser to type her name.

Yes, her suspicion was true. She was the daughter of Alexandria Bonovich.

"I didn't even know she had a daughter." Africa remarked. She had worked with Alexandria – she had portrayed her mother in the movie with the high school prom.

She continued to scroll. There was the girl with the butterfly chiffon dress she had seen, Katherine Rhodes. She had looked nice, but Africa hadn't had a chance to speak to her. The name Rhodes rung a bell too – Aubrey Rhodes. One of her closest actor friends. She had seen Katherine somewhere before; it must had been at Aubrey's wedding. She recently married someone – Katherine's brother.

"How curious." She thought aloud. "Then we might get along."

She went on. Mayli Yi – yes, she knew that Mayli was in too. They were friends – both worked together as models a few times – and Mayli had told her about it already. People liked her dress, pointing out that it looked expensive. It did, Africa agreed. She'd need to ask her about where she got it from.

She stopped at Tatiana Loveren. "Loveren?" Africa read out. "Like Wallis? That would be funny." Wallis Loveren was the director of two movies she had been in. And he was the ex-husband of Sarafina Harolds, someone she had worked with too. "Yet another acting friend, huh?" Africa smiled. Great; she'd make many friends!

"Miss Oaks, you are expected in fifteen minutes." A palace staff member reminded her.  
Africa smiled happily. "Oh, thank you very much." She answered and rose, to check her appearance one more time.

 *** . * . ***

Katherine checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.

The basic idea for the outfit had come from her mother. Lilian was her first choice if she needed fashion tips, and once again, she hadn't failed her. The black chiffon dress with flower pattern looked beautiful. Despite her mother's warm joke that she should wear a dress with air planes on it, she had gone with the responsible decision.

"This way, miss." A friendly staff member showed her the way to a larger room. Going by it's style and interior design, it could be a living room, but the size was at least three times the size of a normal living room.  
"This was once the Woman's Room – in days of the caste system." A staff member told her when she entered the room. "It isn't anymore though." He added with a chuckle.

"Thank you very much." Katherine politely answered before entering the room.

Quite a few girls had already come, and – besides the camera staff filming in the background – they were the only ones in the room. She finally could see all of the other girls. Now that they were wearing casual clothes, it was much easier to suspect their personalities too.

She recognised Cecilia Stark sitting with a few other girls laughing. The red dress she wore could have been her choice yesterday too. She shook her head. Overdressed, Katherine thought. Like always.  
She immediately steered into the opposite direction.

She recognised Rhosyn and Tatiana sitting together and talking. They had been nice. Rhosyn seemed more introverted than anything like the people she knew from school, and Tatiana had stood up to Cecilia during the banquet. Katherine concluded that she liked them.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked them.  
"Not at all!" Tatiana smiled cheerfully. "Join us, join us!"  
"Thanks." Katherine smiled. "How are you doing?"  
"I think I'm nervous…?" Tatiana admitted laughing.  
"I agree." Katherine nodded. "If it hadn't been for my mother helping, I'd have spend hours changing clothes. And, I mean, I don't even know the Crown Prince yet."  
"I think it's more the cameras that make me nervous." Rhosyn admitted. "They are everywhere. Yesterday during the banquet, and I saw them talking to some girls too. I think we all will eventually get interviewed by them."  
"Probably today." Tatiana answered.  
Rhosyn sighed. "Yeah, probably…"  
"Have you met any other girls yet?"  
"Aside of us seven from yesterday evening?" Tatiana asked. Katherine nodded.  
"I didn't." Rhosyn answered. "But I went to bed early, so I don't know if other girls might met up."  
"Same here." Tatiana nodded. "Well, I went to my room early."  
Katherine nodded. "I guess that meeting the others would have been a good idea, but yesterday was exhausting, and I had to get up early for the flight too…"  
"I hope we don't end up around Cecilia and Rihanna again." Tatiana admitted. "They don't seem to like each other at all."  
"I am a bit curious about Rihanna," Katherine admitted. "But I am also wary. Cecilia, no thanks."  
"Do you know her well?" Tatiana asked.  
"Not really." Katherine quickly responded.  
"Calling you 'baby' of your grade was mean." Rhosyn stated. "Did she do that before."  
Katherine shrugged. She didn't want to answer, but she was glad that Rhosyn shared her opinion about Cecilia Stark. "Tatiana, are you studying anything?" She asked the brunette. "You're studying medicine in Angeles, right?"  
Rhosyn nodded. "Yes. I was meant to start my third year, but then the Selection came."  
"I went to drama school for a year," Tatiana answered. "But it wasn't really my thing. I think I want to go to film school, but I don't know where yet."  
"Film school?" Katherine repeated. "That sounds interesting."  
"My father is a director, so I got heaps of exposure about that as a child. You?"  
"I finished my engineering degree this year." Katherine answered. "I want to get some work experience before I go on studying."  
"That's cool." Tatiana smiled. "Do you want to do a masters degree or study something else?"  
"A master degree, and then maybe a PhD." Katherine answered with a smile. "I really love learning things."  
"Same here." Rhosyn smiled. "Where did you study?"  
"Waverly Institute of Technology."  
"Oh, they're good." Rhosyn responded. "You must have been really good to get in."  
Katherine smiled. "Well, I did my best."

"Mind if I ask what you graduated with?"  
"Summa c** laude"  
"Seriously?" Rhosyn was surprised. "You must be a genius."  
"I…" Kath smiled. "Maybe, yeah. It's just my passion and strength."  
"That's really awesome, Katherine." Tatiana added.

Katherine smiled gladly. After meeting Cecilia again, she had been more than worried that everyone here would be snobby and look down at her like it had happened before, but Tatiana and Rhosyn were too nice to count as such.

"So, what else did you do yesterday?" She asked.  
"Oh, yeah." Tatiana laughed. "There is a stick throwing ghost in the palace."  
"… What." Katherine laughed too. Rhosyn joined them.

 *** . * . ***

Isadora dodged a camera man who looked dangerously interested in talking to her. She was one of the last to arrive. While others might had gone crazy over their outfits (one had, Mayli had ranted to her about that already), she hadn't put too much thought into her clothes. The usual things she always wore. Probably more expensive than the yearly income of some girls, but details.

"What did you do yesterday evening?" Mayli – who had joined her on their way – asked.  
"I slept." A lie; she had been out looking for a nice place to spend the evening, but had failed. Most clubs or bars just weren't her taste.  
"Oh, really? I made some friends."

Mayli was cute. In a platonic way, cute. She had, apparently, decided that Isadora was her best friend, despite her apparently already getting along with almost every girl she had said Hi to. Which weren't a few.

"Do we wanna sit down here?" Mayli asked, already sitting down. Her outfit was mainly black – with a light brown skirt. It didn't exactly match with Isadora's elegant rosé coat, but there weren't any cameras around. And, of course, Isadora still didn't care a lot. Mayli having become a friend didn't mean anything.

"Mayli, hey!" Another girl – brunette, tanned and an actress, Africa Oaks – joined them not too soon after they had sat down.  
"Long time, no see." The two hugged.  
"Hey, I'm Africa Oaks, from Zuni." Africa smiled at Isadora.  
"Isadora Bonovich, Clermont."  
"Oh, yeah." Africa smiled. She seemed nice. "I know your mother; we worked together. She's nice." Okay, she wasn't nice at all.

"Hm." Isadora pulled out her phone.  
"Oh, you know each other?"  
"No, I actually had no idea that Alexandria had a daughter. I only met her sons before."  
"Oh." Mayli nodded. "Well, we two worked together before."  
"What do you two think of the other girls?"  
"Hmm." Mayli started to think. "I really like most of them. I sat with Isadora, Rihanna Lorde, Cecilia Stark, Tatiana Loveren, Katherine Rhodes and Rhosyn Reynolds yesterday evening."  
"Oh, did you? Do you know what's up with Rihanna's dress yesterday?"  
"She borrowed it from the Princess. They are best friend, apparently."  
"Best friends?" Africa repeated. "Oh, really? Well…"

They fell into a discussion on the other girls. Girls that Isadora hadn't met yet; people she didn't really care about her. The hall filled more. And more. And more. And more.

"Thirty-five girls looks like heaps." Isadora mumbled. The camera men seemed more active now. The chatter died down instantly, when Silvestre entered.

She commanded the attention of the girls immediately.

 *** . * . ***

"Good morning, your highness." Rihanna mocked a curtesy.

Michael stopped, even though Rock and Flora pulled him further. The two were in the palace garden, despite knowing that the Women's Room filled with girls at the moment. And that Rihanna theoretically was meant to be there too.

"Good morning, Miss Lorde." Michael mocked back. "From what I have been told, shouldn't you be in the Women's Room?"  
"Yeah, I guess so." Rihanna shrugged. "Who cares?"  
"Your mother?"  
"… Damn it, yes." Rihanna looked aside. "She will…"  
"Rest in peace, it was nice to know you." Michael joked.

Rihanna kneed down in front of the white poodle and started to pet Flora who cheerfully greeted her. "Is that your way of calming your nerves?"  
"I'm not really … not-calm."  
"The word's nervous."  
"Are you?"  
"About what? The fun is getting started today!" Rihanna laughed.  
"No, but seriously, not that much."  
"How come? You were a nerve wreck yesterday."  
"I wasn't-"  
"You were. Sam told me."  
Michael cursed.  
"How unprincely." Rihanna joked. "But nah, he told me because he's worried about you."  
"What a good friend."  
"Yeah, he is." Rihanna rose again. "So, got a plan to impress the girls?"  
"Last time I checked, _I_ am the prize."  
"That is a valid point." Rihanna nodded and they started to stroll through the gardens they had basically grown up in.

"Tell me, how do you plan to run your 'first meetings'?"  
"I wouldn't want to spoiler you." Michael teased.  
"I don't think it's a first meeting…?" Rihanna answered.  
"Yeah, you made an interesting first impression."  
"Wait, what?"  
"I vaguely remember being two years old when Silvestre came with you to visit my mother."  
"You don't remember that." Rihanna claimed – nonetheless terrified.

Michael started to laugh. "Oh my, I can tell everyone so good stories about you! Little Rihanna's childhood stories. I might even have photos around!"  
"Don't you dare to!" Rihanna called out. "… I can do that too, you know!"

Silence.

"Your mother would kill you if some thing reach the public." Michael said seriously.  
"A sacrifice I am willing to make for revenge." Rihanna answered equally serious.

They broke into laugher.

"Miss Lorde?" Someone called out – Sam.  
"Yes, Mr Jones?" Rihanna turned around.  
"You're missing in the Women's Room, and your mum's freaking out."  
"Silvestre doesn't freak out." Michael spoke.  
"Her version of freaking out." Sam answered. "You better hurry, or _she_ throws you out."

Rihanna nodded. She knew how her mother could be if angry at someone. She glanced over her outfit – old jeans, a purple shirt, grey-ish jacket, slippers and some bijoux. Not exactly 'Meet the prince' worthy, on the other hand, she didn't exactly need to impress him either.  
"You look good." Sam told her, noticing her worried glance. "Just hurry before we all get in trouble."  
"Right." Rihanna nodded, and started running. "See you later, guys!"  
"See ya'." Michael called after her.

Once Rihanna was out of their view, Sam turned back to his best friend. Worried, he glanced over his expression, and then to the two dogs. Rock was visibly annoyed at not walking anymore; Flora was preoccupied with trying to run after Rihanna. Good, Rihanna was Emilia's best friend, and Flora was more used to the two girls than to Mike and Sam.

"She misses Emmy." Michael claimed.  
"So do we." Sam answered.  
"She would have found a way out of this."  
"The Selection?" Sam asked. "Didn't she want you to get a serious girlfriend?"  
"Yeah, but if I'd ask her, she would get me out."  
"Emmy will be fine." Sam repeated. "She's strong."

"That's what everyone said about mother too."  
"You can't-" Sam stopped.

There was no sense in going through this conversation _again_. It ended the same every time, and Sam didn't want to go through that again. He wasn't going to spend his time with Michael with philosophy about Emilia either.

"Do you know how you're going to handle the girls?" He asked worried.  
"Impress me."  
"What?"  
"I'll put it in their hands. See who impresses me, who makes a good impression."  
"What about introverted girls?"  
"If you're introverted, the life style as royal isn't really good for you." Michael responded. "You meet people twenty-four seven."  
"That is a really good idea." Sam encouraged him.

He then glanced at his outfit though. "Are you sure going all out casually is the best idea? Isn't the whole thing being filmed?"  
Michael shrugged. "Public has seen me in worse outfits."  
"You could at least have worn an actual…" Sam broke off, and began to laugh. The Crown Prince joined. Michael's outfit wasn't just a quiet comment about his level of interest in the Selection, but also included something that had almost become an insider joke between the two.  
"You aren't gonna do that seriously." Sam asked, still laughing. "Mike, seriously?"  
"I'm absolutely serious."  
"No, please, what if-"  
"How would anyone get it?" Michael challenged Sam who shook his head.  
"You're crazy."  
"Did you just insult your Crown Prince?"  
"Still crazy."

Both of them agreed; hanging out in the palace garden would have been much more interesting than getting back inside, but when Sam's phone rung and a member of the organisation team asked who he was and if he could get Michael, both knew that the hour of doom had come.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

 **The outfits can be found on Pinterest again. Also, meet Africa! :)**

 **I am crap in geography, but I think that the MIT would be in Illéa's Waverly, so that's where Kath studied now. I literally just copied Kath's graduation thingy from her sheet and apparently, it's good – don't nail me on it, I have no idea of American unis haha.**

 **The insider between Sam and Mike will be revealed later.**

 **On the name of the school – I'm gonna say "It's set in the future" and that the saint he was named after lived after our time. I just mixed the two names I got together. I'm not creative with names.**

 **NOW, IMPORTANT:**

 **I kinda got convinced by the Discord chat to do a Halloween Ball. This will be set in the future, and I won't write it until in a long while,** _ **but**_ **I need you to get costumes for your characters as well as their families. It is a formal ball, so you can't come and cosplay Luna Lovegood, sorry, but I am sure you will find fantastic dresses for your girls. All family members are invited, unless there's a reason for them not to attend (discuss that with me). You all should be added to my Pinterest board where you'll find a section for the ball. This includes everyone; Tilly too - she'll eventually appear too... We just gotta get there. Feel free to add multiple images (i.e. shoes, dress, hair, ... or multiple images for one outfit), but please follow the format.**

 **PLEASE add a comment in the format: "Halloween Ball – [FULL NAME] - [WHAT THEY DRESS AS]" (i.e. "Halloween Ball – Rihanna Lorde - Fairy") for everyone. Thanks! :)**


	9. Never Been In Love

**09**

 **Never Been In Love**

"Good morning, girls." Silvestre spoke up after confirming that everyone had arrived. Everyone expect her daughter, of course, but Rihanna should be able to sneak in – she'd coupe, as long as she was here before Michael. She was the second girl to talk to him, theoretically, but worst case, she could call Rihanna sick, or anything like that. Nonetheless, Rihanna would end up hearing quite a bit from her later.

"We are in the Women's Room today; this place will be where you'll find yourselves most, aside of your own rooms. Members of the organisation team will usually be here, meaning that if you need anything, you can just come here and talk to us. Because I am aware that most of you most likely have little idea of protocol, you will be given lessons on that here too. Even though it might sound stupid, protocol and etiquette are rules you are expected to follow. This isn't a TV show, this is real."

Chattering.

"That also means that the correct address towards the Crown Prince _is_ 'Your Highness', or 'Sir' afterwards. Discuss that with him, if it bothers you." Silvestre explained. This was more a formality; she had seen Rihanna and Sam mock the royal siblings more than once with their titles. " As you know, you will meet His Highness for the first time today. Each of these meetings will go one-on-one, for about five to ten minutes. They will happen in the order of provinces, starting with Allens and ending with Zuni. There will be breaks because this is expected to take quite a while, including lunch. What exactly you do in these minutes, I don't care about." She explained. "In the meantime, you're expected to stay here, but if you need to get anything, I'm sure that that can be arranged."

She paused for the information to be taken in.

"While some of you already spoke to the camera staff, most of you will most likely end up having a brief chat with them too at some point." She added, before starting to think. Anything else?

The door opened behind her.

"Right. Please always be punctual. I know that the palace is very large and that you might get lost, but everyone here is helpful and will love to help. Besides that," She turned to her daughter who had gotten the message clearly. "Rihanna here knows her way around – in theory – and I am sure she'd _love_ to help."

Rihanna glanced from Silvestre to the girls who all looked to her. She smiled innocently. "Oh, yeah, sure. If you need anything, ask me. I totally have an idea of everything. Absolutely."

The other girls laughed.

"Honey, you can be happy that it's up to Michael who's thrown out." Silvestre whispered to her daughter.  
"I know." Rihanna whispered back.  
"How is he doing?"  
"He's with Sam, but should come soon."

Silvestre nodded. "Good." She turned back to the girls, commanding the attention back to herself. "I'll walk you through the schedule for this week then."

 *** . * . ***

The closer Sam and Michael came to the door, the more, Michael thought about how he should be. Friendly? Annoyed by the fact that he had to go through this? Cold? Overly interested to pretend he was?  
"How should I act?" He asked Sam.  
"… I'd say pretend to care." Sam answered. "I mean, they have just as little idea of the Selection as you have."  
Michael nodded. "Are you staying here?"  
"Depends on Silvestre."  
"Tell her I want you around."  
"She doesn't want you distracted, I think."  
"Tell her that I am just as nervous as the girls, and that I'd like to have a friend around. I don't have thirty-five dudes to be friends with."  
"I'll try." Sam promised.  
"Thanks." Michael sighed glad.

A butler opened the door to the Women's Room. It wasn't the front door through which Silvestre and Rihanna (who now was sitting too), but one in the back that most girls most likely hadn't noticed. Michael's choice – he didn't want to make a grand entrance. Yet, at least.

"Any questions?" Silvestre asked the girls. None of them had noticed that the cameras had been switched on again, filming Michael and the girls again. The room was silent; Silvestre had given a comprehensive explanation, just as always. Nonetheless, Silvestre waited for a moment so the girls had time to think through what they just had been told. "If there are any, feel free to ask. I'll give the word to you," She face Michael. "Your Highness."

"Do I not get a mic?" Michael joked. "I'm disappointed."  
"You can talk loud enough." Rihanna spoke up with a grin.  
"Thank you very much for that very nice compliment, Miss Lorde." Michael, sarcastic, shot back.  
Rihanna's glare said 'Shut up'. She nonetheless smiled. Oh gosh, this was going to be difficult, Michael realised. He always joke-fought with Rihanna. Now they had to pretend to get along, so it'd make sense for her to stay.

"'besides that, hello. I dare to say that you have an idea of who I am; if no, well, we're gonna have time to solve that later." He spoke up. "I _think_ …" He glanced to Silvestre. He shouldn't have skipped that meeting. "… that we'll all have a chance to speak to each other today." Silvestre nodded eyerolling. She agreed. "But before that, I do have a question."

Silvestre was surprised. The girls were too. The staff too.

"Who was throwing sticks with Rock yesterday?"

Upon hearing his name, the German Sheppard who had been pet by Sam until now, looked up and barked, causing at least one girl to shrink. Michael didn't catch which, but he'd have the organisation team figure out who. Someone afraid of dogs would have problems with Michael whose life consisted of Rock for at least 50%.

While there was one girl being scared – Mike kneed down to reattach the lash; she wouldn't need to be that scared – there were also three who began to laugh.  
"I think I found my culprits…?" Michael asked.  
"Guilty as charged." One of the girls, brunette and tanned (What was her name again? Oh welp.) laughed.  
"Well, Rock seemed to like it." Michael shrugged and handed Sam the leash. He repeated the same with Flora, and handed Flora's leash to Sam too.  
"These are Rock and Flora, mine and Emilia's dogs. They usually hang around somewhere and are pretty much allowed anywhere, so if you don't want them in your rooms, my only tip is – close the doors completely. Don't feed them please. Both are a bit confused about having so many people around, but they are both angels."

That was the most important thing he had been worried about; the two dogs.

"Good, if that's solved, then, who is here to represent Allens?"

 *** . * . ***

Tatiana, Rhosyn and Katherine were still somewhat laughing when the prince and the Allens girl left. Certainly, they had gotten looks from the other girls, but they had, quite literally, not done anything but having played with a dog – most of them were more curious about Rihanna and Silvestre's relationship.

"Let's go and see Rock." Tatiana suggested. Rhosyn agreed immediately, but Katherine remained hesitant. She followed them though, but remained distant.

"So, you're the girls who played with Rock?" The guy who Michael had handed the leashes of Flora and Rock asked.  
"Yeah." Tatiana answered. "He just came to me with a stick."  
"You apparently nearly hit Mike." He laughed.  
"Did I?" Tatiana blushed. "Oops."  
"Sam?" Rhosyn, however, spoke up surprised.  
"Oh, hey Rho." The guy – Sam, apparently – waved to her. "What'cha doing here?" He paused. "Wait, that's a stupid question."  
"I didn't know you're working here."  
"Yeah." Sam shrugged. "Mike made me take a year off from studying and help in the organisation team."  
"You know the Crown Prince?" Rhosyn asked surprised. "I didn't know."  
"I have enough girls fancying me at uni already. I don't really want them to annoy me because I know Michael too." Sam answered.  
"You two know each other?" Katherine asked.  
"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I'm Sam Jones. I am studying psychology at Angeles University, and Rho and I know each other from there. We're living in the same building, actually."  
"Nice to meet you." Katherine answered. "I'm Kath."  
"I'm Tatiana."  
"I'd like to say I know and pretend I actually did learn some names, but I didn't." Sam shrugged. "Not my fault though."  
"Whose fault is it then?" Katherine asked confused.  
"Mike's. Michael's." Sam explained. "He read through eleven files or so. Although, maybe, he just pretended to. He's been dodging the Selection _heaps_."  
"That's not good." Katherine spoke wary.  
"I know, but I've got the feeling he's more nervous than anyone else here. He was a nerve wreck yesterday. This isn't good for his mental health."  
Katherine paused. "But if it was…"  
"Discuss that with him; I'm pretty sure if you ask him about that, he'll be honest." Sam recommended.

 *** . * . ***

"Miss Yi from Atlin."

When Mayli's name has been called as third, she was already standing. Isadora hadn't been too interested in the camera staff, but Africa had managed the interview perfectly; she was used to it. Thus, when Mayli joined the prince in the separate room, she felt confident from Africa's confidence.

"Impress me." were his first words.  
"Well…" Mayli started fidgeting with her hair. "I don't really think I can impress someone who lives in a palace." She responded truthfully.  
"There's gotta be something." Michael responded. So, apparently, the Alleens girl had something, Mayli concluded. Rihanna Lorde was a special case either way.  
"I am fluent in Mandarin." Mayli answered, in mandarin Chinese.  
"… What?"  
"I said that I can speak Mandarin Chinese." Mayli translated with a smile. "My parents immigrated from New Asia."  
"Did they, huh?"  
"But otherwise, I am just an average law student." Mayli responded. "I did do some modelling too, but nothing major either…" Mayli smiled. "But, I should thank you for allowing me to stay in the palace here; it's beautiful."  
"No worries." Michael shrugged. "So, I guess you're not from the upper class?"  
"No, no. My parents are running a Chinese restaurant in Atlin. But I moved a lot before we settled down. I used to live in Angeles too."  
"Ah." Michael nodded. "Where else?"  
"Well, I was born in Waverly, but I grew up in Whites. We moved to Angeles when I started primary, and to Belcourt for middle school. We moved to Dakota when I was about to start high school, and I went to Atlin to study."  
"And that just happened to go along with school?"  
Mayli shrugged. "Yeah. They tried not to pull me out of my friend circles too much."  
"That's nice."  
"Yeah." Mayli smiled. "What about you?"  
"Went to a private primary school in Angeles and a private boarding school for middle and high school in Likely. The best one in the country. Wasted, I'd say, I'm not the academic type. What do you like to do in your free time?"  
"Oh, just the usual college student stuff." Mayli laughed. "You know, friends and co, all-nighters, parties, that stuff."  
Michael smiled. "Go on."

 *** . * . ***

Seven girls later, the organisation team member called out Isadora. "Miss Bonovich from Clermont."

Bored already, Isadora sighed and rose. The previous girl was just being interviewed by a camera team, but since Mayli hadn't fallen victim to them when she came out (pretty happy, but that seemed the norm for her), so she hoped that she'd be able to dodge them.

"Impress me."  
"No thanks." Isadora shook her head. "Where's the best party location here in Angeles. I haven't been here in a while."  
"Pardon me?"  
"Where is the best party location in Angeles? Preferably with good drinks."  
"… I didn't have that one yet." Michael smiled interested. "Probably the Goldfinger Club. About a ten-minute drive away in the central city."

"Good." Isadora rose.  
"You need to be a member though." Michael warned her.  
"I am sure I can handle a bit paperwork."  
"That's not how you get in."  
"How then? Secret password? Find the treasure?"  
"Recommendation by a member. It's a quite exclusive thing."  
"Then recommend me."  
"Never said I was a member."  
"Your reputation precedes you."  
"Point. But still."  
"Why would you tell me of the club if you weren't?"  
"To troll you?"  
"How un-princely."  
"Sad life." 

A brief silence.

"Just recommend me and I won't bug you anymore longer."  
"Bug me? Pretty sure that the purpose of the Selection _is_ socialising."  
"I couldn't care less about you, your highness." She shrugged.  
"Huh?"  
"I didn't even know your name before my mum showed me the press conference into my face."  
"Ouch." Michael laughed. "Same for me though."  
"You didn't know your name?"  
"No." Michael laughed. "I'll let people know you're invited."  
"Good." Isadora rose and left, leaving Michael speechless. Silvestre was going to be angry; they were meant to talk for at least seven minutes!

Nonetheless, he did take his phone and opened the group chat with his friends. "Who's the girl who went out early? Note down her name. I promised her to get her into the Goldfinger." He spoke, and his phone recorded, before putting his phone aside.

 *** . * . ***

The camera team surrounding Tatiana, Katherine and Rhosyn – now back to their seats; Sam had to do something for Silvestre and had left – was friendly and understanding.  
"Have you ever been to Angeles?" was the interviewer's first question.  
"We all went to school here." Tatiana answered. She was, out of the three, the most confident one in front of the camera. Previously, they had joked that Katherine and Rhosyn were more book types while Tatiana was the film type.  
"To the same school?"  
"Yes, but we never met." Rhosyn answered. "Kath was two years above us, and I spent most time studying."  
"I only came to the school for high school too." Tatiana added.  
"So, you're used to being here?"  
"I haven't spent much time in the central city itself, but I've travelled a bit, so big cities aren't special for me." Katherine explained.  
"I've been here often enough." Tatiana answered.  
"I mean, I'm studying at Angeles University, but that doesn't mean I've spent any time in the central city." Rho chuckled. "Med school means heaps of studying." 

The conversation went on about themselves for a while – what they were doing (med school, break of studying, deciding on which film school/working as a photographer), what their hobbies were (studying, planes, photography), what their dreams were and how they got along with the other girls.

"We three get along well." Tatiana answered that conversation. "But I guess, with thirty-five girls, there has to be some arguments."

"Miss Rhodes from Dominica." Someone called.

Katherine looked up. "I have to go." She excused herself, leaving the other two with the interviewer. 

To Katherine too, the first words, Michael spoke were "Impress me."  
"Why should I?" was Katherine's counter question.  
"I gotta remember thirty-five names. Give me something to remember you with."  
"I have an engineering degree, graduated near the top of my class, I-"  
"Wait, you're one of the girls who laughed when I asked about Rock." Michael interrupted her.  
"Hmm?" Katherine paused. "Well, yes, but I wasn't actually there. Tate was the one to throw the sticks and Rho was with her, but they just told me about the 'stick throwing ghost' this morning."  
"Stick throwing ghost?" Michael asked.  
"Yeah. That's how they called it."  
"I'm a ghost, sure." Michael laughed. "Do you like dogs?"  
"I like them, but I'm allergic to them, so I guess I'd end up saying I prefer cats."  
"Ouch." Michael paused. "Do you have medicine or so that helps you with it? Rock and Flora are pretty much everywhere."  
"Yeah. I was told about bringing allergy medicine."  
"That's good." Michael seemed relieved.

"Do you mind if I ask something?" Katherine then spoke up.  
"No, go ahead."  
"The staff member to whom you gave the leashes of the two dogs,"  
"Sam?" Michael asked and Katherine nodded.  
"Yes, he. He implied that you are, I quote, 'dodging the Selection' and that it 'isn't good for your mental health'." Katherine repeated. "What did he mean with that?"

Michael looked aside, thinking. Katherine was surprised. She had expected him to be either completely distracted, a typical snob or anything worse, but not to be like this. His first question was going into a playboy direction, but at the same time, it _did_ start a conversation. Plus, it was something that he might used for every girl, so everyone would have the same starting point. Except for Rihanna and Cecilia, maybe.

"I wouldn't consider myself a professional," He began to speak. "and Sam knows much more about that stuff, but I guess I…" He broke off, still thinking. "Uh…"

"He basically said that you don't wanna do this Selection. Why waste our time with all this? It's stupid."  
"I-"  
"If you really wanted to do something with your position, I'm sure there's better things to spend your time on, than having thirty-five girls sworn around you." Katherine added on. "Why even do this now, out of all times? There are major issues in the country going on, like"  
"W…" Michael broke off before even saying one word.  
"I mean, I get that you aren't a person to take on responsibility. I get that, seriously. Some people just… don't want to do anything with their life, but it's not just your life that that affects."  
"I know." Michael pressed out. He was dodging her eyes.

He was dodging the truth. Maybe no one had told him about this. He was, constitutional monarchy or not, in a position of power. People paid attention to his life, but he spent it partying and dodging everything of value and importance.

"Let's not talk about me."  
Now he was changing topic. Katherine mentally sighed.  
"Where are you from?"  
"Dominica."  
"Ah, right. I was thinking of us all doing a trip there…" 

He really was dodging the topic; Katherine needed no hint to see that. He was asking her about her home, heaps, and talking about her hobbies, but the conversation was superficial. He didn't care. She didn't care.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

 **Finally, the girls get to meet Michael. The other girls are going to have their appearance in the next chapter. :3**

 **Also, the chapter titles are song titles. I dunno if anyone noticed. They do actually spoiler some stuff, if you interpret them correctly.**

 **I still need the halloween costumes of Isadora's parents & older brother, Rhosyn's parents and Katherine's family.**


	10. Don't Leave Me Alone

1 **0**

 **Don't Leave Me Alone**

"Do the break now." Michael told. "And send for Sam. And get me something to drink. Anything goes, really."  
"Sir, Miss Lorde has made it clear that she doesn't want any alc-"  
"Is it Silvestre who employs you, or _my_ family?" Silence. "Now get going already."

He covered his face with his sweaty hands. Michael leaned against the sofa he had been sitting on, before jumping up. Damn it, he cursed in his mind. How obvious was he? If that last girl – who was she even? – recognised it, how likely was it that the others did? Sure, he had had some nice conversations (the girl who had inquired about clubs had made the strongest impression for sure) but he needed a break.

 _Now_.

"Are you OK?" Sam asked once he came in. At least they had taken the order of having the break now. "Wanna eat something?"  
"Not really, no." Michael responded, before leaning against Sam. "… I can't do this."  
"What happened?" Sam looked up. "Who was the last one?"  
"Dominica."  
"I thought you liked Dominica? Nice spot for holidays and so on?"  
"Yeah but…" Michael paused. "Sorry, I shouldn't bother you with that."  
"No, it's fine. We're-"  
Michael didn't need more reassurance, he needed someone to talk to. "The usual stuff."  
"Damn it." Sam cursed. "That was my fault. I didn't expect her to go that way. I thought you'd just explain to her that you've been forced into this."  
"I can't exactly do that. Greene would kill me." He shook his head. Maybe he should just be open with it if people asked about it. But if? Greene would, probably. Or anything, who knew. He didn't trust the prime minister.  
"Hmm…" Sam sighed, dropping down on the sofa. "We'll figure something out, I promise. Somehow. Something. Do you want to talk more, or drop the topic?"

Before everything'd fall apart, it was.

"I dunno."

 *** . * . ***

The break announcement came earlier than Rihanna expected. They weren't even half-way through, but on the other side, she didn't exactly mind food at all. She had been switching between groups of Selected a lot, to meet them and make herself a picture of them, and by the time Silvestre told them about the break, she had said hello to at least the half of them. Better than Mike, she thought.

Her first intention was to go and join Michael and Sam (he had left after being told something by the same butler, so she presumed he had joined Mike) but Silvestre was holding her back.  
"Rihanna."  
"Hmm? What's up?"  
"I need to talk to you."  
"Sure." Rihanna nodded, and stopped.

"I don't want you to immediately go to Michael during the Selection."  
"Huh? Why not?" He was close to her best friend!  
"Even though you've made it clear enough that you and Michael are nothing but friends, some people don't like you being here."  
"I know."  
"I don't want them to think that you're having any advantages through connections."  
"So…?"  
"You're staying and eating with the other girls. No questions asked."  
Rihanna sighed. "Sure." It made sense, yeah, but she wanted to have some company that wasn't girls who, in the end, considered her competition. She wanted her friends.  
"Rihanna, please."  
"Don't worry, I will." Rihanna promised. "See you later then?"  
Silvestre nodded her off, and Rihanna glanced over the crowd of girls who had started eating already. She considered her options of whom to join, before her phone buzzed. Samuel had messaged her.

 **Samuel:** I'm worried about whenever Mike is going to make this. **  
Rihanna:** What do you mean? What happened?  
 **Samuel:** The usual  
 **Rihanna:** Who did it?  
 **Samuel:** Mike isn't talking to me, but my bet is on the last girl before the break.  
 **Rihanna:** Dominica, if I remember correctly then. That's Katherine Rhodes. She's nearby me.

Rihanna glanced to Katherine, but she was preoccupied in talking to Rhosyn about professors at university. Tatiana was also on her phone, chatting, and honestly, she didn't mind that. They didn't notice her glance.

 **Rihanna:** Want me to figure out what happened?  
 **Samuel:** DON'T  
 **Samuel:** It was my fault to begin with.  
 **Rihanna:** wdym  
 **Samuel:** I slipped that Mike isn't invested into the Selection, and ended up telling her to ask Mike. It must have turned out bad. I'd say let the situation rest until Mike talks.  
 **Rihanna:** OK.  
 **Rihanna:** Anything for me to do?  
 **Samuel:** Dunno  
 **Samuel:** Just make friends I guess

Rihanna nodded to herself. She could join these three girls, but who knew how long Katherine would stay in the Selection? She wasn't even sure how Michael would deal with it; the usual thing to do when 'the Usual' happened was to call Sam – he usually helped.

'The Usual' meant that someone – be it a person, an article or anything else – had criticised Michael again. While he wasn't good in dealing with hate and criticism, the amount he was exposed to was terrible. But what should he do? Change his lifestyle? That didn't work, Rihanna knew that. They had tried once – Michael had sincerely tried, but he was mocked for it. After that, any try to convince him to a change was without any success.

While Rihanna didn't know how hard it hit Michael, she knew how the guilt hurt his sister. Neither of the siblings gained _anything_ from people demanding Emilia to inherit the throne over her older brother. The pressure on Emilia's shoulders to represent the royal family well while also not being 'better' than her brother (to avoid exactly these shut-downs that were happening now) was extreme. The pressure on Michael was worse though. That wasn't anything she knew of though. Not really, at least.

Rihanna glared to all the girls in the room. She was pretty sure that most of them wouldn't be able to handle the situation. She couldn't see any way how a marriage would change the pressure on the siblings, and she couldn't see how anyone here had a chance on changing Michael. But who knew? Maybe he would indeed find his 'true love'?

How ironic that she was almost jealous…

 *** . * . ***

The 'break' took more than the one hour Silvestre had spoken about, but most Selected didn't seem to notice. They were talking to each other, to the cameras (who Rhosyn noted to be spending heaps of time on each of the girls – even these they had been with already) and while Tatiana next to her seemed quite nervous by now, Rhosyn had noted that things weren't going by plan.

Silvestre was talking to someone on her phone and while Rhosyn wasn't an expert, she seemed nervous. The fact that a camera team had come to them again after eating added to her suspicion. Something had happened. But what?

"Hey, Kath?"  
"Hmm?" Katherine looked up. She had been chatting with her friends from home.  
"Look at Miss Lorde." Rhosyn answered. "Don't you think she looks nervous?"  
Katherine followed her glance. "Do you think so?"  
"She's been walking up and down heaps, especially when not talking on her phone." Rhosyn described. "And the lunch break was meant to be one hour, not two. It's been at least hundred minutes already."  
"Huh…?" Katherine glanced at her watch. "You're right."  
"And the camera teams are going through all girls again too." Rhosyn added. "They're covering something up, something happened."  
Tatiana looked around. "Yeah…" She briefly nodded.  
"What if…" Rhosyn shivered. "What if the Red Herring again? The terrorists from…"  
Katherine rose, she had gone white. "Please no…"  
"But if that was the case, wouldn't the staff be trained on what to do?" Tatiana asked.  
Rhosyn shook her head. "I doubt it. It wasn't the case in Honduras."

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked while Rhosyn pulled her down.  
"When the Red Herring attacked a hospital in Honduras, the staff there had no idea what to do. The necessary equipment to treat the wounded was destroyed." Rhosyn shivered.  
"Wait… If your parents are doctors and you're from Honduras, did they…" Tatiana broke off.  
"No, they weren't there. My mother was visiting some high society party and my father came along. Me though…"  
"Are you alright?" Katherine asked worried.  
"I'm OK now." Rhosyn answered. "Deaf on one ear though." She added.  
"Really?" Tatiana was surprised. "Sorry, I just didn't notice…"  
"It was a while ago by now, I got used to it. It happened about two years ago."  
Tatiana hugged her. "I'm so sorry." She said with tears in her eyes.

Rhosyn smiled sadly. "It's fine, Tate. I got used to it."  
Tatiana didn't stop crying though. "I'm sorry. I just…"  
"It's fine." Rhosyn answered. "Seriously, I'm good now." Didn't she get that? She was pretty much fine now!

"Miss Jane Smith from Fennley."

The three girls looked up surprised. The meetings suddenly went on? Were they safe? Was nothing more going to happen?

"Do you think everything's alright now?" Tatiana asked worried.  
"I don't know." Katherine answered.  
"It's my turn soon. I'll ask." Rhosyn decided.

Her turn came not too soon afterwards.

Rhosyn was, just like Tatiana and Katherine, still worried about what had caused the break. Going by how most girls looked, they hadn't taken any notice. She glanced to Rihanna on her way – she seemed perfectly happy too. She either hadn't gotten any info (which seemed likely) or she was a good actress.

"Impress me." Michael answered before she even had a chance to sit down. Right now, Rhosyn didn't feel like.  
"Before that, I've got a question."  
"What's with all these questions?" Michael asked back, but clearly not minding it.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I got one question out of the nowhere rather and an answer to 'impress me' already."  
"About what?"  
"Nightclubs." Michael waved it up. "How can I be of help?"  
"Are we being attacked by the Red Herring?" Okay, that maybe was a bit blunt.

Silence fell, with Michael being in visible disbelief. "What" He eventually managed to say.  
"Are we-"  
"I think I heard you right." Michael answered. "Not that I know, and I'd hope that someone'd tell me."  
"What else caused the prolonged break then?" Rhosyn asked.  
"Oh, that, uh." Michael paused. "There was some organisation issue, don't worry about it." He laughed. "We are not in a hostage situation or anything – I promise."  
"Good." Rhosyn sighed relieved. "I wouldn't have wanted to go through that again."  
"Again?"  
"I…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Two years ago, I was a victim to a bombing caused by the Red Herring. In Honduras."  
"I heard about that one." Michael admitted. "Emmy insisted on going."  
"Emmy?"  
"My… my sister."  
"I'm sorry." Rhosyn quickly said. "I doubt that you'd want to be reminded of her."  
"It's… fine. Having Rihanna around is enough of a reminder already, I guess."  
"Rihanna said that they are friends, if I remember correctly."  
Michael nodded absentminded. "Yeah, they are. They always are together."  
"I am sorry."  
"Don't worry 'bout it."  
"I know how it feels to lose people to the Red Herring."  
"The Honduras bomb?"  
Rhosyn nodded. "I was working as an intern there when the bomb happened. I'm half-deaf since then."  
"Oh! You're the girl Sam mentioned." Michael realised. "Rosin? No. Rhosyn, right?"  
She nodded. "You don't know anyone's name, I guess?"  
"I've always been terrible with learning names." Michael chuckled. "But yeah, I don't really. Cecilia and Rihanna, and that's it."  
"I see that the Selection's a façade to distract from the terrorists," Rhosyn began to speak.  
Michael interrupted her. "Finally! Finally someone gets it!" He paused. "You don't know this." He looked into her eyes.  
"Uh, it's pretty obvious." Rho answered. "I get the message though."  
"Apparently, it's not." Michael shrugged. "But yeah, 'don't tell anyone', you know." He winked. "It was Greene's idea."  
"The prime minister's idea?" Rhosyn repeated surprised.  
"He threatened to pass a law on it, if I didn't do it."

"Wait, what?"  
"Prime minister John Greene threatened to pass a law that'd force me to marry someone through a Selection if I didn't volunteer to hold it. So, theoretically, I didn't volunteer, but details."  
"So you don't actually want this."  
"No one really cares about my opinion."  
"That's mean."  
"You don't say." Michael shrugged. "But yeah, now I get to play this game."  
"That's…"  
"Don't worry about it. Now, where were we? Impress me."

 *** . * . ***

The moment, Rhosyn left the Crown Prince, Tatiana and Katherine rose, curious whenever the prince had actually told her anything. The brunette's relaxed expression already hinted though that everything was fine.

After Rhosyn had summarised her encounter with the prince, the three girls went back to what they had been doing before – Katherine and Rhosyn both were reading books, and Tatiana was chatting with a good friend online. Rhosyn did leave out what she had learned about Greene though. Promises had to be kept – for now at least.

"Miss Tatiana Loveren from Paloma."

Tatiana rose and followed the staff member to meet the Crown Prince who was still sitting on the sofa he had preoccupied for most of the day. Thinking of it, Tatiana realised, that being here must require heaps of patience and concentration.

"I was gonna say 'Impress me', like with everyone else, but you're the girl who played with Rock, aren't you?"  
"That would be me, yes."  
"Do you like dogs?"  
"Yeah, do you?"  
"I wouldn't have one otherwise." Michael answered with a smile. "Rock's my best friend. Do you have a pet?"  
"No." Tatiana shook her head. "I went to a boarding school for high school, and after that, there was some family drama. I don't think I could afford caring for a pet either, so I doubt that I'll get one anytime soon."  
"You're one of the girls who went to Emmy's school, aren't you?" Michael asked. "Sam's uni friend went there too. The club girl, and the Dominica girl too. Rihanna and Cecilia too."  
"Yes, I did, but only for high school. My mother thought it…" Tatiana sighed annoyed. "inadequate for me to go to public high school, apparently. Complete nonsense, in my opinion, but well."  
"Family drama meaning your mother's a bitch…?"  
"She cheated on my father."  
"Definitely a bitch."  
"Worse – she lives in Angeles and expects me to visit." Tatiana sighed.  
"If you need any help with that, I'm a genius in avoiding anything I don't like." Michael joked. "Ask the master for advice."  
"Sure, I'll take that." Tatiana smiled. "I hope that also counts for avoiding my sister thought."  
"Avoid what you want." Michael shrugged. "I'm an expert in it."

Both laughed.

"So, since Sam apparently already spilled that I failed to learn any names or anything else, tell me about you. Impress me."  
Tatiana shrugged. "Aside of the fact that I went to your sister's school, I also went to drama school for a year. I stopped though, it's not my thing. I think I want to go to film school, but I don't know where yet. Maybe in Paloma, maybe somewhere else."  
"Drama? Like, acting?"  
Tatiana nodded. "Yes, pretty much."  
"What's with all the actors here? I vaguely remember Silvestre joking that half of the Selected have an acting relative."  
"Well, that'd be my mother for me."  
"So the actors aren't the good guys?"  
Tatiana shrugged. "Dunno. I only know my mother. What about you?"  
"I got a Wikipedia page, if you're interested."  
"So do I now."  
Michael laughed. "Right. I dare to say mine's more filled though. But, yeah, my life's pretty much waving around, cutting ribbons, pretending to care and finish."  
"What about Rock?"  
"… Yeah, okay, there's more."  
"Tell me."  
"I like horse riding and biking a lot. Sam – he's my best friend, if you didn't guess already – and I often go for trips together. I also spend heaps of time with Rock. And I like parties, but I guess you heard that by now." He added the final sentence salty. "What are your hobbies?"  
"I work as photographer, and I like my job. I'm not a bad chef, I like reading, video games and my friends." **  
**"I dare you to cook for all Selected."  
Tatiana laughed. "I'm not that good, and I'm pretty sure you need a team to cater everyone."  
The Crown Prince shrugged. "Dunno. Then later on when there are less girls, it is."

 *** . * . ***

"Miss Africa Oaks from Zuni."

Africa was the final Selected to be called. Whenever that was a positive or negative thing, she didn't know. She had the chance to make a lasting impression because she was less likely to be mixed up with others, but on the other hand, Michael had to be exhausted by now.

"Impress me." The prince asked casually. "Wait, I know you." He looked up. "Why do I know you…"  
"I am an actress." Africa smiled. "Africa Oaks, from Zuni."  
"Oh, we're about to be done?" Michael asked surprised. "Well, cool."  
Africa rolled her eyes annoyed. He wasn't even interested in her – so it wasn't good that she was last. "Have you seen "My Dog and How He Conquered the World"?" Africa asked. If he had two dogs, then he might like the movie. It was the one where her character went to a high school prom.  
"Oh, yes! You are the owner of the dog, aren't you?" Michael asked. "The movie was awesome. When is there a sequel coming?"  
"I don't know." Africa admitted. "I was only contracted for one movie for that one."  
"Too bad." The prince sighed. "The movie was really good. You're a good actress."  
Africa smiled. She was glad that he liked her performance.  
"So, what else do you do?"  
"I don't have much free time to be honest."  
"Heaps of work?"  
"Yeah." Africa nodded. "But I like fashion and make up things."  
"Welp." Michael laughed. "I'm gonna guess, I'd fail a fashion test?"  
"Yes, you would. The guy you gave the dogs to wouldn't though."  
"Yeah, Sam usually leaves that impression."  
"How come you didn't dress up for your girls?"  
"I…" Michael laughed. "I'm gonna call it 'I wanted to be natural'." He laughed. "What about you?"  
"This is my natural!"  
"… Still better than Cecilia." Michael joked. Yeah, Africa had seen her dress. She _was_ overdressed. "So, how do you like the palace?"

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Note**

 **The Selection begins in the second week of September. Theoretically, there IS a character who has birthday soon, but I've decided to overlook birthdays because they'd unnecessarily complicate my plot line.**

 **I decided to write Rho a bit more empathetic than described because she's studying to become a doctor, and I think that they need a certain level of empathy. That, and the chapter flowed better haha.**


	11. Pretty Girl

**11**

 **Pretty Girl**

Africa was the last Selection to have her one-on-one meeting with the Crown Prince, hence Michael following her out. He had been, well, alright, she decided. Mayli cheerfully waved to her and she rejoined Isadora and said brunette. Relaxed, she briefly stretched herself and readjusted her loose bun.

"How was it?" Mayli asked while Michael seemed to share a few words with Silvestre and Sam.  
"Alright, I'd say."  
"Great." Isadora commented sarcastic. "Are we done here now? I want to get out."  
"How come?" Africa asked surprised. Why was Isadora so snarky? She hadn't done anything.  
"It's boring."  
"Oh, I am sure that will change soon." Africa smiled. "Do you think we'll eat dinner together?"  
"Silvestre mentioned that, I believe." Mayli remembered. "Formal wear, at eight o'clock, and with the King and the Crown Prince."  
"Oh, right! I remember!" Africa smiled. "So, what will you wear?"  
"Clothes." Isadora commented sarcastic. Mayli and Africa laughed.  
"I was going to wear one of the dresses I got yesterday and maybe a light pink cardigan? That would work with the jewellery I have." Mayli thought aloud. "I'm not sure on what to do with my hair though."  
"Oh, I think I've got an idea. Do you mind if I play around with it later?"  
"No, not at all." Mayli smiled. "What about you?"  
"I prefer long dresses, and I've got this light pink one that looks really nice. I think I will go for that one." Africa explained. "I haven't thought a lot about it yet though. We all should get our outfits together!"  
"Oh, that would be fun." Mayli agreed. "But I wanted to talk to some other girls I met yesterday. Maybe I could invite them? Africa, you're really good with make up and hair; I'm sure they wouldn't mind having you help them."  
"That sounds nice. What do you think, Isadora?" Africa smiled.  
"Hm." Isadora shrugged. "I have my outfit already. I don't care what you do."  
"Then it's decided!" Mayli declared cheerfully. She overlooked Isadora's mood absolutely. Africa smiled. Isadora would eventually warm up with them too.

 *** . * . ***

Rhosyn was still reading her medicine book when Africa and Mayli approached. Not that she recognised them – she didn't exactly have time to watch movies or read magazines, but Tatiana seemed to. Katherine looked up too when the two had arrived.  
"Hey, how are you doing?" Mayli asked with a smile.  
"Great, thanks." Rhosyn answered politely. After the brief shock of believing to be in a hostage situation, she was more than great. Everything was better than another terrorist attack.  
"Same here." Tatiana answered with a smile. "You are Africa Oaks, aren't you?" She asked.  
"Yes." Africa smiled happily. "It's nice to meet you."  
"I've seen you before. In a movie, I think. Are you an actress?" Katherine asked wary. She was, once again, colder. Maybe she just took time to warm up, Rhosyn wondered.  
"This is Katherine Rhodes, and this is Rhosyn Reynolds."  
"Nice to meet you." Rhosyn smiled too.

"I was wondering if you three want to join us later in the evening to prepare for dinner? Africa is really good with hair styling and make up, and we were going to prepare for the evening together." Mayli suggested. "Isadora is in too, I think."

Rhosyn paused. Was she? Isadora didn't strike her as too social, more as a jerk, in fact – even if she seemed to have been forced into the Selection just as much as Rhosyn was. But help with styling? She didn't mind that.  
"I'd be in for it." Tatiana smiled.  
"I'll join too. Kath?"  
Katherine nodded. "Okay."  
"Great!" Africa smiled. "Do we want to meet in my room and then go through the clothes we have each?"  
"I think I know vaguely what I'll wear." Katherine remarked.  
"You could bring it." Tatiana suggested.  
Katherine nodded. "Alright. When do we meet?"  
"Six thirty, maybe? In my room?" Africa suggested.  
"Sure." Tatiana nodded. Rhosyn and Katherine agreed too.  
"Cool, see you later then!" Mayli smiled cheerfully.

 *** . * . ***

"So, who exactly is Africa?" Rhosyn asked. The three girls had just met up in Rhosyn's room which was closest to Africa's. Katherine and Tatiana both already carried a bag with clothes – Rhosyn hadn't had time for that yet. Since  
"She's an actress." Tatiana explainer. "Her mother too. She practically grew up in front of the camera. She started out as child actress and also models."  
"Ah." Rhosyn nodded.  
"Did you meet her before?" Katherine wondered.  
"Not in person, but my father worked with her a few years ago. I think he also worked with her mother too. They might actually be friends."  
"That's cool." Rhosyn spoke.  
"My older brother is married to an actress." Katherine remarked. "Aubrey Rhodes. Do you know her?"  
Tatiana nodded. "Yeah. I think they worked together in a movie from last year. That horror movie with the beach party theme."  
"I think I saw it." Katherine nodded. "I'll ask her if they're still in contact later on."  
"Isadora's mother is also an actress, isn't she?" Tatiana remarked. "Maybe that's how they know each other?"  
"She didn't seem too keen on socialising with Mayli and Africa today." Katherine remarked.  
"When I first met her at the airport," Tatiana remembered. "she seemed quite happy with Miss Lorde pushing her mother away, so they might really don't get along."  
"Hmhm." Rhosyn nodded.  
"She was still rather… unpleasant." Katherine remarked.  
"I do agree." Rhosyn nodded.  
"It was funny," Tatiana remarked. "But it's sad that she is participating in the Selection without really caring. She could at least try to make some friends. She isn't the only one who applied to participate."  
Katherine nodded. "Pretty much what I thought, yeah. I know how it can be to deal with high society parents, but there's no need to be such a jerk about it."  
"On the other hand, who says that she even volunteered to participate?" Rhosyn suggested. "My parents submitted an application for me without even telling me."  
"They did?" Katherine was surprised.  
"Yeah. They're social climbers." Rhosyn explained. "Please don't tell anyone though. They have quite a bit influence in the medical field, so they could have threatened my career if I didn't play along. They made my brother marry some Angeles socialite too. It's ridiculous."  
"That's terrible." Tatiana said worried. "I mean, my mother is bad enough with wanting fame and so on, but she'd never marry me off to someone…"  
"The worst thing is that Jason's – that's my brother – wife constantly has affairs. He knows of them, but he doesn't do anything. I guess it's my parents' pressure too."  
"That's terrible too." Katherine added.

Tatiana and Rhosyn went on complaining about the ridiculously lavish life style of Sarafina Harolds, Tatiana's mother and Katerina Crowe, Rhosyn's sister-in-law. Katherine, appreciating her loving family, ended up hugging both of them more than once, until the alarm they had set to go over to Africa's room went off.

 *** . * . ***

"Hello!" Africa called out cheerful when Tatiana, Rhosyn and Katherine entered her room. She was sitting on the sofa, just finishing giving Mayli a manicure. On the table next to her was a collection of various nail polish which she seemed to be using at the moment. Isadora was already dressed and on her phone. Alongside black nails which Tatiana presumed to have come from the black nail polish on the table, she was wearing a black Chanel dress that Tatiana remembered to have done a photoshoot with. Alongside the dress, she wore a lace scarf, rather modest jewellery and black high heels. Even though the look almost reminded her of a funeral, Tatiana couldn't say that she didn't look good. Isadora had style.

"So, what are you two going to wear?" Africa asked curiously.  
"I've got this dress." Tatiana dropped her bag and pulled the red, thin dress out. Having worn black yesterday, she wanted to go for something brighter this time.  
"That looks cool." Mayli complimented.  
"What kind of jewellery are you going to wear?" Africa asked. "It's red, so maybe with yellow gold? That's pretty common, and works well together."  
"I am not sure." Tatiana admitted. "Yellow gold and red is pretty common, and I don't want to look like copying anyone's look."  
"Well, there is a point why people do it." Mayli remarked.  
"If you go with white gold or silver, it'll look cold." Africa thought aloud. "The contrast might be too much for a dinner like this." Africa remarked. "Depending on what you have, maybe go with pearls? Rosé coloured maybe? That would be somewhere in the middle. It's not too common as yellow gold and red, but not as cold as silver and red. Depending on what you wear, it's subtler, so it fits Miss Lorde's remark on semi-formal to formal too."  
"That's a good idea." Tatiana nodded. "I was thinking on using nude ballerinas. The dress hides them either way," She showed the red dress reaching the floor. "and I don't want to kill my feet."  
"That's a good idea." Africa agreed. "If you want, I can smoothen your hair and then give it some subtle waves.  
"Isn't that a bit much for just dinner?" Rhosyn asked confused. "I wouldn't ever put so much thought into dinner, even if it's with my whole extended family…"  
"Well, we _are_ in a palace." Mayli remarked dreamy. "So why not dress like princesses?"  
"That's what I was thinking too." Africa admitted. "You don't dine in a palace every day. And we all want to impress the prince, don't we?"

While Tatiana went to her room to get fitting jewellery, Africa started to work on Mayli's hair which she loosely braided. When Tatiana returned, she finished Mayli's hair. As Mayli had explained before to Africa, she had decided to wear a black cocktail dress with a pink cardigan. She added black plateau high heels that made Rhosyn worry about how far she could walk, but Mayli seemed quite confident with them.

"You look great." Tatiana complimented when she returned.  
"Thank you." Mayli hummed. "What about you two?"  
"I have this dress," Katherine pulled a wider chiffon dress in rosé out of her bag. The off-shoulder dress was much wider than Tatiana's red one, but also a bit shorter. Alongside the dress, Katherine also revealed a pair of silver high heels and a three-liner necklace filled with Swarovski crystals. "And I was going to wear these shoes and the necklace. What do you think?"  
"I love it." Africa smiled. "I've got a dress in a similar colour, but more colourful jewellery, so that won't be a problem." She added. "What are you going to do with your hair?"  
"I'm not sure yet." Katherine admitted.  
"Well, you're wearing an off-shoulder dress, so it depends on how you feel about showing your shoulders. Personally, I really like your dress, so I'd probably go with a basic hairdo to emphasise the dress and go for a mature, chic look. Does your hair curl naturally?" Katherine nodded. "Then maybe we could just do some smaller braids. Maybe go for… Do you know Game of Thrones? Something like Daenerys wears, but presumably simpler. Maybe a little bun?" Africa nodded to herself. "Yeah, that would look good."  
"I do not know Game of Thrones…?"  
"Don't worry, leave the hairdo to me." Africa grinned. "Hey, Mayli? Do you know how to smoothen hair? You could help Tatiana."  
"You're forgetting Rhosyn." Isadora remarked.  
"Oh, right. Let's get you a dress first. Where's your room?"

While Mayli begun to smoothen Tatiana's hair, silence fell over the girls briefly. Africa's dress, in a similar colour to Katherine but much longer and thinner, seemed to go with a pair of golden high heels and bangles that resembled vine tendrils. The golden bangles had red jewels on them – rubies? – and Africa seemed to be going for an equally themed necklace – multiple golden flowers with red jewels in the centre.  
"What is Africa going to wear as hairstyle?" Tatiana asked Mayli curious.  
"I think she was going to put her hair up losely..." Mayli remembered. "What do you think the others will wear?"  
"I'm curious about Cecilia." Katherine admitted. "In my opinion, she was a bit overdressed today." She was colder than usual, Tatiana noticed. Whenever that was because she wasn't comfortable with Mayli (who was a sweetheart) and Isadora (who wasn't that much a sweetheart) or something else, Tatiana wasn't sure. Maybe she still was annoyed by Rihanna and Cecilia's tensions from yesterday?

"We're back!" Africa opened the door just as happy as before. She always beamed with energy, Tatiana noticed. She was pulling Rhosyn with her, alongside a (presumably reused) shopping back with clothes in it. "Rhosyn's family prepared her well, fortunately." Africa declared, but Rhosyn flinched. "But we went for something basic."  
She presented a grey dress, followed by a white blazer and light beige shoes, a golden bangle and necklace. While the clothes did indeed look like Rhosyn, Africa didn't seem too happy. She seemed to have fun with dressing everyone up, so Rhosyn's usual business-like style was most likely not her taste.  
"I'll do her hair first because a basic lower bun is much easier done than braiding hair." Africa told Katherine. By the time Rhosyn had changed, Mayli had already started to curl Tatiana's hair; much to Africa's happiness – she was starting to rush a bit.  
"Next time we should meet an hour earlier." Rhosyn chucked, but Africa just pushed her into the next chair to begin working on her hair."  
"Good idea." Africa mumbled to herself.  
Isadora sighed. "I'll do Rhosyn's hair, and you start with whatever you plan to do to Katherine." She decided. "I'm perfectly capable of making a bun."

Africa accepted the offer relieved.

 *** . * . ***

 **Selection Organisation with the Crown Prince (no, you can't mute this one, Michael)**

 **Silvestre:** Did I mention a dress code today? For the dinner. I'm not sure.  
 **Samuel:** I thought it was semi-formal to formal? I wasn't there when you were going through the plan though.  
 **Rihanna:** Damn it  
 **Michael:** ?  
 **Rihanna:** I'm in my pyjamas. The pink ones with teddy bears. The ones I've had since I was 13.  
 **Michael:** Sounds like semi-formal. I'm gonna come in mine too. Should I go with my pirate ones or the knight ones?  
 **Silvestre:** No, you two won't. You absolutely won't. There are cameras.  
 **Rihanna:** Welp. What do you count as semi-formal, mum?  
 **Michael:** Not what Cecilia was wearing today  
 **Rihanna:** Wanna bet she comes in a wedding dress?  
 **Michael:** That's too obvious. White tie only. The wedding dress'll be at the next formal event.  
 **Silvestre:** I'm glad that you two are having fun, but if you're really in your pyjamas, I recommend you to change rather than chat about the other Selected.  
 **Michael:** I'm still wearing the same as today…?  
 **Silvestre:** You change too.  
 **Samuel:** You're a fashion disaster, bro.  
 **Rihanna:** What do you count as 'formal' or 'semi-formal'?  
 **Michael:** Just get something that Emmy'd wear for dinner. That prolly works.  
 **Rihanna:** Some people already complained about me wearing Emmy's clothes  
 **Michael:** Isn't a thing for girls to share clothes the whole time? I mean, if you google a bit, you'll figure out you're BFFs, so…?  
 **Rihanna:** Screw it, Emmy's closet it is.  
 **Rihanna:** Do you guys remember the cute dark-blue-purple dress with transparent sleeves? I'm going for that one.  
 **Michael:** no I don't  
 **Michael:** How many dresses does Emmy even has  
 **Rihanna:** Idk. Enough for me to borrow that one.  
 **Silvestre:** Get changed you two.

 *** . * . ***

To say that the six girls were underdressed was a lie. To say that they were overdressed was one too.

"Some here definitely need some lessons on how to handle dress codes." Isadora mumbled when they joined the other Selected in the hall where they were to eat dinner. The range of chosen clothes ranged from the same they had worn in the evening to ball gowns. While Rhosyn might was a bit underdressed, it wasn't in a way that it almost seemed an offense, as Isadora thought. Some here simply never had much of a chance, she presumed. This wasn't high school prom.  
"Agreed." Africa nodded. "At least Cecilia seems to have learned her lesson." She vaguely pointed to the young woman who stood next to a few other Selected who, apparently, seemed to be her newly made friends. She had gone from red to blue. A more modest choice, Isadora thought, and now much more fitting than before.  
"Shall we sit down?" Mayli suggested.  
"Why not?" Tatiana seemed to agree. The girls took their places – all together – but briefly Isadora hesitated. Mayli was OK. She was adorable and happy; a nice person to be around. Her optimism irritated her, but at least, Mayli was friendly with her. Rhosyn was fine too. A bit introverted, but not a daddy's darling and golden child like Katherine was. Tatiana was fine too. But the problem were Katherine and Africa. Africa seemed to be too much like her mother – an actress, they knew each other too and beloved child – and Katherine was exactly the type of human she hated. Mayli was friendly enough to keep her a seat free while the other girls continued to talk, but Isadora remained standing along.

"You are not wearing pyjamas! I'm surprised." Someone joked behind her.  
Isadora turned around to recognise the Crown Prince – now in a black, lose worn suit – and Rihanna Lorde. Rihanna was most certainly not wearing pyjamas but a dark purple dress with transparent sleeves. The upper half of her blonde hair was loosely pulled back; she looked good, and if it wasn't for her face shape, she could have been confused for the Princess. Maybe Princess Emilia had worn that dress too, hence Isadora associating it with her?  
"Nor are you though." Rihanna answered.  
"I think Silvestre would kill us both if one of us did."  
"Yes, she would. Absolutely."

Together – without gaining the attention of the other girls – they entered the hall as well. The way they walked didn't seem couple like, but then again, Isadora thought. "Who am I to judge?"  
"Ah, Miss…" Michael stocked.  
"Bonovich. Isadora Bonovich." Rihanna came to the rescue.  
"Yeah, whatever, I got you into the club."  
"Thank you." Isadora nodded happily. At least that meat that she had a good spot to take refuge in – as long as the Crown Prince didn't decide to join her.  
"Nice dress, by the way." Rihanna smiled at her.  
"Thanks. Yours too."  
"She was going to wear her pink teddy bear pyjamas, but her mother stopped her." Michael teased her.  
Rihanna's face froze. "I. Hate. You."  
"Feeling's mutual." Michael joked. "I think father's coming any minute, so, see you later." The King did indeed join them only a minute later, leading to the girls also noticing Michael who by then had left Rihanna alone.

Most of the girls, Isadora soon noted, hadn't noticed Rihanna until she sat down. Cecilia, sitting on the other side of the large table, glared coldly towards the blonde; Rihanna smiled sweetly back.

The King did not rose this time to greet his guests, but Isadora didn't care much about that. Even though the King's words were warm, the battle of staring between Cecilia and Rihanna was much more interesting. Whatever the Iléan sovereign spoke about, his son didn't seem to care much either – he had noticed the glares too, and he seemed to be holding back daughter.

"What do you think is going on between Rihanna and Cecilia?" She whispered to Mayli once dinner commenced.  
"Rivalry? Both started out from the best positions, no doubt." Mayli responded.  
"One is a friend of the prince and the other is the daughter of the most beloved leader of the nation." Africa agreed.  
"I don't like Cecilia." Isadora decided. Too much of daddy's golden child, too much of her brother. The late prime minister had been known for his tender love for his daughter. "Which means, I guess, I am on Rihanna's side." Plus, she was curious about her.  
"I wonder on whose side the prince is." Mayli admitted. "No doubt he has notice their rivalry."  
"Rihanna is his sister's best friend," Africa reminded them. "But then again, everyone prefers Emilia over the prince, so who knows if there aren't hidden feelings of hatred? Cecilia is a beautiful woman. She doesn't come with the connotation of being his sister's best friend."  
"You have a point." Isadora spoke. "Most seem to prefer Cecilia because she isn't as… open with her advantage."  
"Except a few." Mayli remarked. "There are a few girls who seem to dislike her and Rihanna both."

Mayli begun speaking about said girls, but Isadora's attention faded away. Rihanna had begun speaking to other girls, Cecilia had begun speaking to other girls, the Crown Prince had begun speaking to his father. Sure, she wasn't interested. Sure, she wanted to get out.

But this was almost as good as a TV show.

"I wonder who'd survive a drunk battle between them." She muttered under her breath.

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

 **This chapter is prolly the least described in my outlines, and as a person who can't work without outlines, this killed me. But hey, I survived… with heaps of fashion discussions. Welp. I think you really see my own style shining through here – when I was looking for reference pictures for jewellery and shoes, I pretty much had to force myself to going out of my preferred style range. I hope that it isn't too obvious. _ I gotta say that research for this chapter was fun though.**

 **This chapter doesn't seem to contribute much to the plot, but I consider it as very much necessary to build up the character's relationships. :3**

 **Also, yeah, you're getting this out of schedule because I feel like this one doesn't have enough content to count? Happy mid NaNo. I hit 50k yesterday.**


	12. Best Friend

**12**

 **Best Friend**

The sun was still rising above the skyline of Angeles when Katherine knocked on Rhosyn's door. The girls had made the decision to go to bed early and wake up early yesterday. Not that Katherine or Tatiana enjoyed being awake early – it had been Rhosyn's idea – but they agreed with the advantages that it bought. They were able to dodge the organisation team's cameras who were still wanting more bits and pieces. They were able to dodge the journalists who were, going by what Tatiana had seen on social media, looking for the smallest bit of new information.

That was why Rhosyn, Tatiana and Katherine were eating breakfast together while watching the sunrise above the skyline of the central city.  
"Are we going?" Katherine asked.  
"We?" Tatiana playfully asked.  
"I dare to say that we count as friends." Rhosyn added.  
"Agreed." Tatiana smiled.  
They were talking about Mayli's invitation to go to town together. Africa was definitely joining them, and Mayli had included Isadora as well – although going by her expression, she wasn't too keen.  
"I wouldn't see why not." Tatiana voiced her opinion first. "It is fun as a group, and Mayli seems to know her way around. She's lived in Angeles a while, apparently."  
"I don't like Isadora." Katherine stated. "She's a snobby rich kid, and having some of them in the Selection is already more than enough."  
"Are you sure though?" Rhosyn wondered. "I understand that she appears to be that, but I do know how it can be if…" Rhosyn paused. "Wait."  
"What do you mean?" Katherine asked confused. Did Rhosyn want to defend Isadora or not?  
"I agree that she is behaving like a jerk, but I don't think that's because she is a snobby rich kid." Rhosyn answered after a moment of consideration.  
"Rhosyn, you've attended Saint-"  
"I've socialised as little as a fish." Rhosyn interrupted her. "I do not claim to know the high society's personality. As much as my parents enjoy to pull me to their social season gatherings, I don't think I am in a position to judge it."  
"So, how can you know?"  
"Because, as you know, my parents made me participate just as much as her mother seemed to, going by what we gathered. They have my career in their hand against me. Maybe in Isadora's case, it is the same, but slightly less? So that she doesn't even bother pretending to be interested?"

Katherine remained silent. Rhosyn probably had a better idea of how it felt to be in such a situation, but Katherine had good reasons not to trust Isadora too much. That, and she was worried to lose her friends to them already.

Keep calm, she reminded herself.

"We could speak to her?" Tatiana suggested.  
"She doesn't seem to be the type to talk heaps." Katherine remarked.  
"I think we should do it too." Rhosyn emphasised. "Maybe we learn more, and if not, she might warm up. Or not, and we know to keep away from her.  
"That is true." Katherine admitted. "I agree."

Tatiana smiled. "Then it's decided? We'll join them?"  
Rhosyn and Katherine – one more hesitant than the other – nodded.

 *** . * . ***

Africa was an early bird too. The only reasons to stay up late were work, or sometimes to go out with people, but the mornings offered a far too good chance to enjoy quiet private time. After having gotten up and put on a casual outfit adequate of shopping, she was still working how to figure out not to be caught. Preparing for the day had taken long enough for breakfast to arrive too, and once she had finished that, she was glancing through the window, waiting for the time to go to the Women's Room to come.

A cap and sunglasses? Her clothes weren't too fancy, so people wouldn't notice her for her fashion style, she still wasn't wearing an absolutely blend in outfit. Too high was the danger of being found wearing that. With the Selection going on, the girls were more likely to be found by paparazzi that they were usually. But first, she'd need to deal with the lessons, the girls were going to be given. Then, she could work on the shopping problem.

Once the time to walk down had come, she soon joined Isadora and Mayli who were waiting for her at the stairs.  
"Good morning!" Mayli smiled. She had gone for a simple outfit – t-shirt and skirt, but similar to Africa's outfit, she'd need to do something.  
"I love your outfit, Isadora." Africa remarked with a smile – Isadora most certainly had style too, but exactly the same problem.

If the girls were to walk out like this, they would be recognised by people, and considering the general public's interest in the Selection, that meant that they wouldn't have much time for shopping itself.  
"Did you hear?" Mayli curiously asked. "Apparently, the Selected from Whites was invited on a date by the prince already."  
"Well, he better start." Africa answered. "What is there to wait for?"  
Mayli nodded. "That's true." She nodded. "What do you think, Isadora?"  
The blonde shrugged. "Don't really care."  
"So, you're jealous?" Africa teased.  
"No, I'm not." She didn't even look up.

Disappointed – she really had hoped for some kind of reaction of Isadora that wasn't disinterest – Africa turned back to focusing on the lesson they were going to take today. Having been home-schooled for the majority of her life, the large group of girls was a rather nice experience.

"Do you know if Rhosyn, Tatiana and Katherine are coming?" Africa asked Mayli who shook her head.  
"I was going to ask them once we meet them." Mayli answered.  
"We need to talk about being recognised though." Africa remarked.  
"What do you mean?" Isadora looked up confused.  
"The Selection's all over the news and online. People _are_ going to recognise you." Africa explained. "I don't really intend to spend my afternoon with giving autographs."  
"Ah." Isadora paused, thinking. As daughter to a famous actress, she'd probably understand that, Africa presumed.  
"That's right." Mayli thought aloud. "That might really be an issue. People were looking at lot at me and Isadora when we went shopping the day before yesterday."  
"There we go. They maybe weren't completely sure, but by now, enough material of us should be online that were can be found."  
"You're the professional celebrity here." Isadora remarked cold. "I'm sure you can organise something."

"Good morning!" Tatiana, from behind called.

Africa, Mayli and Isadora turned around and were joined by the other three girls. As her habits went, Africa scanned over their chosen outfits as well. Rhosyn was going with her formal business style again – going by what Africa had read in the morning, her outfit yesterday hadn't gained any negative attention; or at least not enough to reach her news feed. She was just considered as mature – that wasn't bad. Tatiana's style was much more casual, as Africa had expected from her, but she liked the outfit. Tatiana would have least problems with blending in for sure. Katherine's long black dress however might turn into an issue, she realised. She certainly looked good, yes, but it was getting colder, and soon, a dress like this would be the wrong season wear. Today's weather was warm and sweet, but who knew how long that would be? She'd be fine today, but they had to discuss clothes if they were going to do more trips – something that Africa hoped for.

"Good morning to you too!" Mayli cheerfully answered. "How are you?"  
"I'm good, thanks." Tatiana smiled. "Is the shopping trip still on?"  
"Yep." Africa nodded. "We do need to talk about clothes though."  
"… If we are going to go shopping, that sounds like something we'd do though…?" Katherine remarked wary.  
"Not the clothes we'll buy, but clothes to prevent us from being recognised. Like, the easier way would, for example be, caps and sunglasses or something like that."  
"That sounds lots like movies." Katherine remarked. "The bad disguises ."  
"You can't wear it like you want to hide something. I'll show you later what I mean. We should go now." Africa remarked, pointing to the Women's Room that was slowly filling.

 *** . * . ***

The lesson itself was interesting, yes, Africa admitted that, but it was more interesting to go through what each girl had elected to wear. Clothes did say something about personality, she believed, and to her, it slowly became visible what kind of people each person was.

There was still a difference in style, but compared to the banquet on their first evening, there was more similarity. The girls who had underdressed were wearing more adequate clothes, the girls who had been overdressed too. The gathering this time seemed more casual than their first meeting with the Crown Prince too, Africa noticed.

In the end, Africa didn't listen that much, but Isadora next to her didn't seem too interested either. If she'd run into any faux-pas, Isadora would run into them too, right?

"So, what exactly are you suggesting?" Rhosyn asked when they left the Women's Room once the lesson was over.  
"She is worried that we will be recognised and won't have time to do actual shopping." Mayli explained. "Africa has a few ideas on how to handle that."  
"Exactly. Sun glasses are, for example, still appropriate." Africa explained while they were leaving. "It's still warm and bright enough that you can wear them without looking weird. Alongside, for example, a cap, they'll help you not being recognised. Tatiana can definitely wear a cap with her outfit, and it'll do the deal. Maybe hide a bit of your hair under it, and you'll be alright. I think I'll take my chance with sun glasses and hoping to blend in. I'm used to that, so I think I'll be fine." Africa looked to the others. "Katherine, do you have a sun hat? These with the large brims?"  
"I think so." Katherine nodded.  
"That should do the job for you." Africa nodded. "Isadora…"  
"I'll be fine."  
"But-"  
"What I wear is my decision, Africa, not yours. Period."  
"If you are recognised, people might recognise us though, and it will stop us from having a nice day." Katherine, cocky, remarked.  
"I didn't intend to go out with a poster saying "HEY! I AM IN THE SELECTION!", Katherine." Isadora, equally cocky, answered. "I'm capable of putting together my own outfit, thank you."

Africa sighed. She hoped that the two wouldn't end up fighting the whole time, but they just didn't seem to get along at all. She turned away from them to Mayli and Rhosyn. Both were wearing more business-like clothes, but that wouldn't essentially save them from paparazzi and other people. Especially not after Rhosyn had worn that style a lot already.  
"If you two do something with your hair, maybe, that could do." Africa suggested.  
"I could use a jacket with a hood." Mayli suggested. "It should work with the outfit, and it looks cute."  
"Good idea." Africa nodded. "And I'm sure I can come up with something good for Rhosyn."

She looked around in the group of six girls. Yeah, that sounded like they all should be set to go, she decided. "Let's go then. I need to get my back from my room too. Do we want to meet in Rhosyn's room in ten minutes?" She suggested.  
"Sure." The others agreed, more the less.

 *** . * . ***

Twenty minutes later, the girls were walking through the central city; fortunately, not recognised by anyone (despite casually walking out of the palace). Isadora had proven to be experienced enough – she was wearing a thin leather jacket with a hood and sunglasses too; not too similar to Mayli to get the attention, but perfectly doing the job.

Mayli and Isadora walked ahead of the girls. They just had been shopping in Angeles and had the best idea of where to go and where not to. Africa speeded a bit up after briefly talking to Rhosyn about her time studying in Angeles.

"So, how do you like Angeles?" She asked Mayli and Isadora.  
"It's nice to be back." Mayli remarked.  
"Hm." Isadora didn't even look to her.  
"Have you been here before, Isadora?" Maybe she had asked that before – Africa didn't remember.  
"Yes."  
"How come?"  
"Holidays. My mum sometimes works here. We have a penthouse here."  
"Is your mother in town?"  
"She's leaving today."  
"Oh, too bad. You could have visited her."  
"Not interested." Isadora stopped at a shop window, visibly not interested in a conversation  
"So, you're more interested in the Selection?" Africa asked.  
"In case you haven't noticed," Isadora stopped walking and turned to Africa, annoyed. "I care as little about the Selection as I care about anything else. So, please stop bothering me."

With these words, she started walking again – ahead of the other girls who hadn't noticed their conversation. Africa sighed disappointed. She really wanted to know more about Isadora, but she seemed a hard nut to be cracked.  
"It's fine." Mayli said told her. "Just give her time."  
"I'm trying, I'm trying." Africa answered, visibly disappointed.

 *** . * . ***

The six Selected settled on a café to eat lunch, packed with a few bags already. Much to Africa's surprise, Isadora had elected to buy less than Africa had expected. Aside of mainly looking at clothes, Isadora had made one thing clear – she was not interested in talking. Especially not to Katherine and Africa; she sat with Mayli (who was happily chatting – Africa wasn't sure whenever Isadora was actually listening) and Rhosyn. Katherine had gone away to call her family with the intention of keeping them up to date. How sweet, Africa thought. Kath's family really cared.

"So, how do you like Angeles?" Africa asked Tatiana.  
"It's nice here, yeah." Tatiana vaguely answered.  
"But…?"  
Tatiana rose her phone and showed the screen to Africa.

 **Jennifer:** So, you're in the central city? **  
Jennifer:** Cool! I'm going shopping too for a party at home.  
 **Jennifer:** I can join you!  
 **Jennifer:** Where are you guys?

"Who's that?"  
"My little sister."  
"She's in Angeles?" Africa asked curious.  
"You know that my parents are divorced, right? My sister lives with me in Paloma, usually, but my mum lives here and Jennifer often visits her."  
"Invite her!"  
"I'm not really in the mood for that." Tatiana sighed. "I… pretty much decided to apply because I wanted some time off my family, and not deal with them again."  
"Family drama?"  
"Yeah. I just… don't feel like my mother's family anymore after she cheated on dad."  
"Ouch." Africa sighed. "Mum's always with another guy since dad died. I guess, I'm not used to having a happy family life either."  
Tatiana nodded understanding. "Yeah. I can't understand why Jennifer wants to be with mum so much, after what she did to dad." She paused. "We used to be really, really close, but then after the affair, everything went downhill. Now, she's been all over the news talking about me as if we still were close…"  
"My mum too. I mean, we _are_ close, but she's pretty much using my current position for personal fame." Africa laughed out. How ironic. Fame, publicity and recognition – the reason why she was participating herself. "Sorry. It's just…"  
"We aren't dealing with them now, so it's fine." Tatiana answered. "I'm just not going to respond to her. We're here to have a good day."  
"Exactly."

 *** . * . ***

While the six girls were out in Angeles, Michael worked hard. Or, at least, he liked to call it work. By the time he finally got home, it was eleven o'clock and he had successfully had a 'date' with two girls. When he crashed onto his bed, considering just falling asleep as he was, his phone (of course it had to) started ringing.

Presumably Silvestre, he thought and decided to ignore it. She probably wanted to have a summary of what she wasn't able to piece together from the cameras that he had noticed everywhere. Yes, he was a bit paranoid (or very? Details), but at least his 'dates' hadn't noticed.

Two girls done, two girls he definitely didn't care about. If he could just eliminate everyone he didn't care about… well, he expected the numbers to go down quickly. But no, Silvestre insisted on him spending at least one date with every girl (!) before he started to eliminate them.

So much of 'Throw out everyone whose name I don't know".

The phone kept on ringing. Silvestre would, by now, probably have sent someone to get him together in person, meaning that it either wasn't her, or she (for once) didn't disturb him with the Selection.

It was Sam.

"Yo." His friend spoke once he took the call. "What kept you from the phone?"  
"Silvestre. Well, thinking it was her."  
"I am not, I promise." They laughed. "How were your dates?"  
"Boring."  
"What did you do?"  
"Went through the garden with the first and to the cinema with the second. I had the girls chose what they wanted to do – I'm not that creative. The movie was terrible."  
"Sounds fun."  
"How was your day?" Michael answered.  
"Pretty much the same."  
"You had a date with two girls?"  
"No. Boring." Sam replied. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"  
"Apparently the same. Silvestre said that I have to have a date with every single girl before I can do eliminations."  
"What about group dates?" Sam joked.  
"… You're a genius." Michael moved up. "I'll have Rihanna figure out the friend groups and just do them in groups."  
"Wait, but, are you sure that Silvestre will accept that?"  
"I had a date with every girl by then. Sounds like what she wanted."  
"I doubt that-" Sam was interrupted.  
"I need to talk to Rihanna to plan this. See you later."

On the other side of the city, Sam sighed, knowing that Silvestre wasn't going to let him do that.

 **Notes of the Author**

 **I know, I shouldn't spend all my time looking for outfits, but it's too fun not to do so. _**

 **This chapter is meant to establish the relationships between the two trios (Kath, Rho, Tate & Isadora, Mayli, Africa) as far as they are interesting, just like the last one. It also establishes something that it going to be a bit of a problem for the girls (although more of an annoyance rather than source of conflict) – they are Selected and thus in the eye of the public. I wanted to ****emphasize** **this in the beginning since that's going to be an underlying concern when they're i.e. going out. :3 We also got an introduction to a plot arc. ^_^**


	13. Sweet Escape

**13**

 **Sweet Escape**

Day one had been their arrival.

Day two had been the first meeting.

Had the banquet been on the first or second day? The first, Michael decided, but only because he remembered Cecilia's choice of clothes on the second day.

Day three had been the first two dates that he barely remembered. Cinema and garden.

He had worked ahead, more as a reminder to himself that he actually had to do this rather than because he cared. Well, that, and it was helpful for Silvestre's team that needed time to organise the cameras, interviews and what not.

After the first week, he had dates with seventeen girls. Almost the half, he said to Silvestre who had been happy. The final evening had been left free –Mike needed an evening off, and alongside the usual people – Sam and Rihanna – they had disappeared into Angeles' night life undercover. Eighteen girls, he corrected himself when he reported his plans for Silvestre – who had responded with rolled eyes. At least she was taking Rihanna as a joke, and not playing an overprotective mother. The head of the organisation team had, however, been content and happy with his process (alongside the not-too-unnoticeable stalking of photographers – be it official or paparazzi – and their leaks to the press). The summary of all that internal monologue about plans was that he had a morning off after the party trip.

And a morning off meant that he wouldn't move an inch until two certainly unhappy dogs showed up and demanded his attention.

"Go away." Michael grumbled when Rock jumped onto his bed. "Get someone else to walk you."  
Flora followed unasked and started licking on his face. "Woof!" The poodle wanted to be walked too, apparently.  
"Alright… Alright…" The Crown Prince smiled at the two dogs.

There were three ways to get Michael easily out of bed. Sam and his unbelievable convincing skills, fire alarms and an animal demanding attention. Not always in that order.

 *** . * . ***

Othilia Joyce cheerfully skipped through the yet empty garden of the palace.

There were various reasons for Tilly's good mood, but primarily, it was that it was a great day, she absolutely loved the warm autumn sun and that the whole day was going to be great. Rihanna Lorde, a girl she had befriended with almost immediately when they had first met, had hinted that today, something nice would happen, and Tilly had happily taken that hint.

The brunette hadn't yet understood that wearing the same dress twice could count as scandal; until now, she hadn't, and Rihanna wasn't up yet (unlike Michael, her mother hadn't forbidden her to drink alcohol, and she had a hungover), and thus couldn't warn her that wearing the grey outfit that she had worn for the first full day was a no-go. Not that Tilly particularly cared. The tulle skirt felt like a cloud, and she absolutely loved it!

"You seem happy." Someone behind her commented with a vibrant, happy tone.  
The brunette turned around and saw two dogs, and a man attached. At first, Tilly didn't pay much attention to the attached human, but rather kneed down to give both dogs a friendly hello.  
"Aww. You two are cuties, huh?" She asked the poodle and German Sheppard who cheerfully barked back. To be exact, Tilly didn't pay any attention to the 'attached human' as she briefly referred to him in her mind.

"Judge people based on how they treat animals, huh?" The attached human commented humourful.  
"Huh?" Tilly looked up. She paused, before her brain made the connection between 'attached human' and the Crown Prince. "Oh, your highness, I'm sorry, I didn't notice you." She stumbled over half of the words, eager to quickly apologise. She did rise (again, as soon as possible) and curtsied clumsily – what if she had insulted him? What if he was already throwing her out, even though she hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to all people and/or see the whole of Angeles yet?!  
"… For what are you apologising?" Michael, genuinely, wondered.  
"Uh, I-"  
Michael shrugged. "You like dogs?"  
"Yes, absolutely!" The brunette smiled brightly. "I wonder what Mr. Serious is doing…"  
"Who?"  
"My dog, at home." Tilly answered. Michael probably didn't remember that she worked in an animal shelter – going by Rihanna, he still hadn't learned even half of the names of the girls. "I really miss him…"  
"Why didn't you bring him?" Michael asked curious while bowing down to detach the leash from the two dogs.  
"I…" Tilly paused. Yes, she did miss her dear husky a lot. But bringing him to the Selection? That had never even been in her mind. "I didn't think that was allowed…"  
Michael shrugged. "I don't care. As long as he gets along with the staff of Silvestre's team and these two," He pointed towards the poodle and the German Shepard. "then it's probably fine. If not, just say it was my idea and I talked you into it."  
"Oh, really?" Tilly asked overly happy and cheerful. "That would be awesome!"  
"Sure." He paused. "By the way, you are friends with Rihanna, aren't you?"  
"Hm? Yeah." Tilly nodded. Rihanna had (apparently?) hung around all girls at least once, and picked up Tilly who had jumped between girls just as much. Too many people to meet – and she wasn't done yet!  
"Cool." Michael nodded. "She mentioned you like partying?"  
"Sure." Who didn't? Sure, Tilly wasn't getting dead-drunk (only a bit tipsy because everyone did) but she still enjoyed going out with her friends. Being under people was fun!  
"Wanna join us today? Rihanna, Sam, I and probably some other people are going out." He suggested.  
"I would love to!"

 *** . * . ***

It would have been a lie to say that Africa was entirely happy with the situation, if not frustrated. A week had passed since the six girls' shopping trip, and besides the daily lessons on protocol (which were fun, to some degree – Isadora had fallen asleep in the last one and gotten into trouble yesterday), there wasn't much happening, and it only took the girls so long until they had seen all Angeles sights.

Nothing particular fun was expected by the girls when they were hanging out – again in the group of six (despite the general coldness coming from Kath and Isadora) – in the Women's Room. Isadora was reading a fashion magazine, Rhosyn was studying, Tatiana was using her laptop, Katherine was reading a magazine and Mayli was sleeping on Isadora's shoulder who didn't seem to mind that.

"Anything happened?" She asked the girls once she got back to them.  
"Nope." Tatiana answered.

They weren't alone in the Women's Room – some other girls (also in groups) were sitting and chatting nearby; they had stayed in the room after their afternoon lessons. The day had been rather boring, Africa decided.

"Morning." Rihanna, eyes half open, fell onto the free couch next to them. She hadn't been present during the lessons, Africa realised; going by her outfit (which could have been a pyjama as well), she hadn't gotten up until just about now.  
"What happened to you?" Tatiana asked confused.

Africa had soon taken notice that the whole group seemed to stay away from Rihanna and Cecilia, whose mutual dislike seemed to be known between all girls.  
"Hungover." Rihanna mumbled, before turning around. Her hair looked terrible – a very bad case of bed hair, Africa decided. "Did I miss the lesson?"  
"Yep." Katherine nodded disapproving. Yeah, the blonde definitely disliked people dodging work, Africa thought.  
"… Welp." Rihanna didn't seem to care too much. She seemed to be rather well educated in etiquette, but considering her friendship to Princess Emilia, that seemed only natural.  
"You're gonna get into trouble." Katherine added.  
"I can still threaten mum with… stuff." Rihanna shrugged. "That, and I doubt that Sam got out of his bed either."

"Sam doesn't work on Sundays." Michael said.

The Crown Prince had come to the group of girls, and another brunette girl (whose name somewhat sounded like Ophelia, but not completely – Africa had forgotten it). They had been talking until now – primarily about Tilly's work at the animal shelter in Whites – but neither Africa or anyone else had noticed or heard them.

"Lucky." Rihanna responded. "How come you aren't hungover? … Is that English? Hungovered? Hungoviared? What?"  
Most of the girls laughed. They had gotten the attention of the other girls as well, who were suspiciously moving closer. Africa wasn't exactly sure why most girls had applied for the Selection; most of them didn't seem too interested in Michael as a person; for them, it was probably their fifteen minutes of fame, or so.

"Are you still in tonight?"  
"… Tonight?" Rihanna paused. "Oh, right. Yeah." Rihanna sat up. "Just gimme some time to fix my hair."  
"We said eight, didn't we?"  
"Hmhm…" Rihanna yawned.  
"Do you wanna come too?" Michael asked Africa and the others.  
"What do you mean?" Rhosyn asked carefully. Unlike what Africa would have expected from Isadora, she remained calm and polite.

Africa had concluded that Isadora (who still didn't react friendly to her) and Rhosyn both hadn't come to the Selection on their own will. Isadora made that much more visible than Rhosyn, but her disinterest in the whole process and preference in studying made it clear to her.

"We're going out this evening; clubbing. Probably undercover – so no stalking cameras." Michael explained casually.  
"Sure." Africa nodded. "I'm in."  
"I'll come too." Tatiana nodded. "What about you guys?"  
"Not interested." Isadora didn't even look up.  
"Unless you're intending to spend the evening here, I'm gonna say that we'll run into each other either way." Michael reminded her. "You might as well just tag along."  
"Hm." Whenever she would come along, Africa wasn't sure. She'd see, probably.  
"I'll come too." The brunette who had followed Michael smiled. "I am sure it'll be fun. I'm Othilia Joyce – call me Tilly. I'm from Whites." She added. Alright, Othilia it was. Ophelia and Othilia sounded similar enough.  
"Africa Oaks."  
"I know! I love your movies." Tilly smiled. "Oh, can I have your autograph?"  
Surprising that she hadn't come to her before, Africa thought but nodded nonetheless. "Sure."

While the other girls introduced themselves to the new arrival, Rhosyn and Katherine seemed to be talking. Mayli woke up through Isadora's movements and agreed to join them too, but the Rho and Kath didn't seem too convinced.

The girls around Tilly soon fell into a conversation about who Tilly and the others were (with Mayli using her miraculous skill of pulling Isadora into the conversation), and Michael seemed to be chatting with Rihanna for a moment, before pausing.  
"I gotta go now, so see you guys later." He quickly told the girls.

A brief farewell later, Africa turned to the two girls. "Are you coming too?"  
"I am not so sure." Katherine admitted. "From what I've heard, his party habits aren't… exactly my type of it."  
"We'll be fine." Africa assured. "And it's not like you need to drink or anything."  
Tatiana nodded. "You could come, and see if you still want to leave. Then, you can leave."  
"That makes sense." Katherine admitted.

Africa smiled relieved. "Great." She hadn't completely expected the two girls to agree, but them coming along would surely be fun too. Plus, she might finally get a chance to break through to the two girls.

 *** . * . ***

The rest of the day had been spent with outfits. Around seven thirty, the girls were almost done.

Rhosyn, no doubt, wouldn't have minded spending more time with her radiology textbook, rather than with needing to put on outfits for Africa. If their shopping trip to Angeles and the preparations for the formal events had been a lot, then this was as large as the whole of Angeles.

By the time, Africa had understood that Rhosyn didn't have 'clubbing appropriate clothes', the floor of her room (that apparently had been named the centre of their fashion decisions) was filled with clothes.

While Mayli and Africa were occupied with styling Tatiana's and Katherine's hair, someone knocked at the door.  
"Come in." Africa called out and turned to the door.

Tilly and Rihanna opened the door – both of them dressed differently than before, they changed too, Rhosyn realised. Tilly skipped into the room without further ado while Rihanna closed the door behind her.  
"I thought we might join you guys." Rihanna explained. "You're having fun?"  
"Yeah." Africa, still working on Katherine's hair, nodded.  
"You really like fashion, huh?"  
"I do." Africa smiled.  
"Have you done Isa's hair?" Tilly asked cheerfully. She had the energy of a seven years old child, Rhosyn noted, but couldn't help a smile. Her positive energy was spreading.  
"Isa?" Mayli repeated. "You mean Isadora?"  
"Yeah." Tilly smiled. "Her name's too long. So, Isa it is."  
"Uh, do I get a say in-"  
"I love the nickname!" Mayli smiled equally bright. "And, yes, Africa did Isa's hair. She's incredibly talented!"  
"Thank you." Africa smiled proudly.  
"No worries. Can you do mine at some point?" Rihanna asked.  
"Sure, why not?"  
"Awesome." Rihanna smiled, before pulling out her phone. Rihanna didn't strike Rhosyn as antisocial or anything (more the opposite, although less energetic when compared to Tilly and Mayli), but taking out her phone now? That wasn't polite…  
"What are you doing?" Rhosyn inquired politely.  
"Texting Mike." Rihanna answered and started to type.  
"Hm?" Tilly turned around to the other blonde. "What?" She asked curious.

As answer, Rihanna handed her the phone. Curious, Rhosyn rose too and stepped next to Tilly to see what Rihanna had just written.

 **Rihanna:** Mike  
 **Michael:** Hm?  
 **Rihanna:** Don't eliminate Africa  
 **Michael:** sure. Why  
 **Rihanna:** I need her to do my hair. She's GOOD.  
 **Samuel:** And who would you like to keep as your personal make up artist?  
 **Rihanna:** Don't know yet

In the end, Rhosyn wouldn't have needed to stand up; Tilly read out the chat on her own. Surprised, Rhosyn turned to Rihanna. The Selected from Angeles had taken a seat between the pairs of shoes that Africa was considering for Katherine's outfit. Rhosyn, Mayli and Africa had been declared as finished; Isadora refused to let anyone select an outfit for her, but Katherine's outfit and hair wasn't finished yet, and Mayli was still braiding Tatiana's hair. Africa really had turned into the group's stylist, with Mayli acting as assistant.

"You certainly have influence on him." Katherine remarked.  
"He's practically my best friend." Rihanna responded. "We grew up together. Our mums were super close."  
"Isn't it weird for you to be Selected now?" Tatiana asked.  
"Not really." Rihanna laughed. "But, I guess Mike and my relationship is different from anyone else. I'm more here for the fun, really. Sam got in by working for mum, but me? I'd just have been the 'appears out of the nowhere and provides a risk for a scandal' person for the organisation team."  
"Scandal?" Rhosyn asked.  
"Mike might date someone outside the Selection or so." Rihanna rolled her eyes. "Please, he's practically my brother."  
"So you don't intend to win." Katherine concluded.  
"Nah." Rihanna laughed. "Mike is my second best friend, and that's it. Even Sam is closer to being my type, and he's not it."  
"Sam has many admirers at uni." Rhosyn remembered. There had been one time when their professor had been late, and a group of girls in one of her classes ended up discussing whenever Sam might have a girlfriend because he didn't react to any girls' advances. He always kept quiet about that, Rhosyn thought.  
"You two know each other, right?" Rihanna asked.  
Rhosyn nodded. "Yeah. We've met before and shared a class last year."  
Rihanna leaned back. "Yeah. I don't think Sam has had any girlfriend in…" She paused. "I dunno. Has he ever had one?"

Mayli smiled nervously. Discussing the topic of girlfriends seemed to embarrass her a bit; she had stopped braiding Tatiana's hair and was watching Rhosyn and Rihanna talk. From her expression, she almost seemed somewhere else with her mind – she definitely hadn't seen Rhosyn look at her.  
"Mayli?" Tatiana carefully turned around. "Are you alright?"  
Mayli giggled embarrassed. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just… I feel a bit uncomfortable with discussing other people's love life without their OK."  
"That's fine." Katherine smiled. "It _is_ weird."  
Rihanna grimaced. "… Poor Mike then?"  
"Well, it was his decision to do this." Katherine – colder now – remarked.

Much to Kath's (and some others') surprise, Rihanna openly shook her head. "No, it wasn't."  
"What do you mean?" Katherine sat up (much to Africa's annoyance). She remembered the conversation the three girls had had with Sam before. Rhosyn hadn't found time to discover more by asking Sam, and Katherine's suspicion that Michael wasn't serious with the Selection – well, it hadn't been denied or confirmed to anyone but Rhosyn, who hadn't mentioned it to the others yet. The way, Michael had sounded, made her think that she could have gotten into trouble if she had done. He had gone on dates with girls, but none of the six girls had enough contact to them to learn more.  
"Uh…" Rihanna paused. "I thought that you might figured out or that someone told you, but…" She paused, thinking. "So, first of all – I never said this. You don't know it, and I didn't ever say anything about it either."  
"Okay…?" Katherine nodded in distrust.  
"Everyone has to agree." Rihanna added.  
"I agree." Africa paused with Katherine's hairdo.  
"I'm fine with it." Tilly hummed. She probably had little idea of Michael's image.  
"Yeah. Same here." Tatiana nodded. "I want to know more."  
"I won't talk." Isadora leaned back again. "No one'd believe me either way."  
"I'm just as curious as everyone else." Mayli nodded.  
"You need to say that you agree not to talk about this, Mayli." Rihanna emphasized.  
"Sure, I won't. I promise I won't talk." Mayli smiled.  
Rhosyn nodded. "I won't either, but why do you sound like you're about to confess murderer?"  
"To some degree, I am." Rhianna explained. "As you might guessed, the Selection's date isn't random. It's a distraction."  
"from the Red Herring." Rhosyn added. She remembered the whole conversation. "Prime Minister Greene made him hold the Selection. He threatened to make it law otherwise."

Everyone looked surprised to Rhosyn; she hadn't told anyone. Certainly, everyone had expected some external pressure, but none of the girls had expected that Michael had been threatened by the law.  
"Goddamn Starks, aye?" Rihanna nodded. "Yeah, that's the story. Michael never wanted to do this, but he has to pretend that he does. Which he doesn't, by the way. I mean, I doubt that he's against a hook up, but from what I'm seeing, he's just opposing being forced into this."  
"Then I'm not the only one." Isadora concluded surprised. "Wow. Nice. Even more mean parents."  
"What do you mean?" Rihanna asked. "Your parents made you join?"  
"Yep." Isadora didn't look up, but Rhosyn could see the sarcasm on her face.

So there really wasn't anything pushing Isadora into pretending to care. She just told Rihanna that, and Rihanna had ideal connections to the Selection's organisation and the Crown Prince. Isadora's family had nothing real against her; they didn't hold her future career, like Rho's family did. She wouldn't talk that easily.

"Mean." Katherine remarked. "That is mean."  
"As if they care." Isadora shrugged. "They're just glad to get rid of me."  
"Well, I'm happy to have you around." Mayli hugged Isadora from behind. "I like you"  
"I do too!" Tilly announced, and joined the hug.  
"I don't even know your name." Isadora pushed her away. "What-"  
"I'm Tilly." Tilly took her hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you, Isa."  
"My name is-"  
"It's Isa now, I think." Tatiana laughed. "If we're on nickname basis, call me Tate, by the way."  
"Rho." Rhosyn spoke up. "I'm Rho, then."  
"Kath or Kate." Katherine smiled warmly.  
"I don't really have a nickname." Mayli admitted. "But I prefer Mayli either way."  
"Same." Rihanna nodded. "I've had some, but I'm happy with my name too."  
"You can't really shorten Africa to anything. I'm on the same side." Africa added. "But it's cool to have you guys as friends."  
"Awesome!" Tilly smiled. "Oh, and, Africa? Mayli?"  
The two looked to the brunette.  
"You might want to hurry with Kath's and Tate's hair. It's eight o'clock."

 *** . * . ***

 **Author's Notes**

 **Some slight remark that Africa didn't catch on, and I didn't know how to write it; Mike wasn't just "I gotta go now" leaving, but more escaping the situation.**

 **And we got a bit more revelations than I wanted already, oops.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm a little child (although, I'm old enough to drink… so RIP me) and have never been to a club and/or been drunk.**

 **Also, Tilly! 3**


	14. Live for the Night

**14**

 **Live for the Night**

Soon afterwards, eight girls and two boys were walking through the streets of Angeles, heading towards Michael's favourite club (which Isadora approved of a lot, apparently).

Tilly skipped ahead. In the tulle skirt she was wearing (and loving), she couldn't help but smile brightly; she loved being in Angeles. The warm rays of the evening sun were absolutely awesome. She loved the nature here. She loved the warmth here. She absolutely loved Angeles.

And she had a crush.

Not that Tilly would tell anyone, but she didn't consider Michael as a bad person. Sure, she had read the news articles and all, but the way he had handled the dogs? No bad person would be so good to animals.

Tilly skipped alongside Mayli. The two had formed an instant connection in between the nickname conversation and the present. Both loved to laugh, were energetic and talkative. Tilly already felt like she knew Mayli for ages.  
"Isa! You should join us and not walk alone." Mayli insisted and pulled Isadora to them.  
"Fine." The blonde sighed annoyed.  
"I really love your outfit." Tilly complimented. "You should cheer up a bit."  
"No thanks."  
"Why not?"  
"Uh." Isadora paused. Apparently, no one had asked her that yet. "I just… Don't see a reason."  
"Well, you're away from your family, so they can't bug you." Tilly remarked.  
"Oh, and you can totally go out partying." Mayli added. "No one seems to mind. Especially not the Crown Prince."  
"And I'm sure that Rihanna can talk Silvestre's team into not bothering you too much." Tilly added. "It's great, isn't it?"  
Isadora remained silent.

They continued walking; apparently, Michael preferred walking towards the clubs rather than taking a car which surprised Tilly. She didn't mind walking at all, and thanks to Africa's clever disguise strategies, they weren't bothered by anyone either. The aspect of suddenly being famous _did_ scare Tilly.

"So, what are you doing?" Katherine asked her when they reached the central city.  
"Walking." Tilly smiled oblivious.  
Katherine laughed brightly. "No, for work!"  
She didn't seem as cold as Rihanna had described her. Not at all; she seemed like a sweetie. Maybe a bit calm and calculating, but cold? No. Absolutely not. "Ooh!" Tilly nodded. "I understand. I just finished my nurse training."  
"You want to be a nurse?" Katherine asked.  
"Yes. I started school a year early because it fitted better with my parents' work."  
"Same for me." Kath laughed. "And, going by Rhosyn, after me, no one was allowed to skip a grade at my school anymore."  
"Really? I couldn't imagine that. That's stupid."  
Kath paused thinking. "I kind of understand it, but yes, it blocks pathways."

They spoke about Tilly's nurse training and Kath's university time for a while – Tilly being incredibly impressed by Katherine's intelligence – before Rhosyn joined them; Tilly wanted to meet each of the six girls in person for a bit, and was happy to talk about medicine for a while. Rhosyn had heard her speaking about her training.

They reached the 'Goldfinger Club'; a very exclusive looking club, in the brunette's opinion. They had nothing like this in Whites. Incredible! Any club she had visited in her small hometown (in which everyone knew everyone though) was an old farm compared to this. Isadora and Rihanna walked past; both apparently members, but the others had to wait briefly for Michael to organise them to be able to get in. Going by how the bouncer treated and talked to Sam and Michael, they were common guests though.

"Welcome to the Goldfinger." Michael joked when they entered. "My favourite place in town."  
The club was mainly kept dark, and quite a few people had already come. Tilly wanted to just go and explore it, but Kath and Rho seemed to steer for the bar, so she decided to tag along.  
"Do you guys want to drink something?" Kath asked with a loud voice – it was very loud.  
"Just water please." Rhosyn ordered. "I don't feel like drinking anything."  
"I think I'll drink a bit. Who pays though? I forgot my money…"  
"We're apparently coming with Michael, so I'm going to guess we can put it on his bill." Kath laughed. "That's at least how it sounded."  
"Okay." Tilly smiled happily and looked to the menu. She ended up ordering the same as Katherine, and the three girls watched the others disappear.  
"This is loud." Rho commented unimpressed.  
"You'll get used to it." Kath promised.  
"I'm already deaf on one ear. I don't want to lose the other." Rhosyn answered.  
"They usually have earplugs." Katherine remarked. "You could just ask for one." She paused. "I think I might get some; do you two want me to get some for you?"  
"That'd be great." Rhosyn answered.  
"Yeah, sure!" Tilly nodded – more because she just wanted to tag along rather than because she needed them. Sure, it was loud, but that was the reason they came here, right?

Very soon after that, Tilly found herself slightly tipsy. Just a little bit; she had stayed with Katherine and Rhosyn, and neither of them was an irresponsible drinker (Rho kept with water). The three certainly had a good time – Tilly was glad to have made these friends.

* . * . *

About an hour later, Tilly managed to convince Kath and Rho to come and dance for a bit, and Sam used the time as excuse to disappear to the bar alone. Michael was with Africa and Tatiana, and the three seemed to be having a good time. He was glad.

"What do you want today?" The bartender, an old friend, asked.  
"Water." He didn't drink alcohol. Not anymore.  
"A Goldfinger Special, please." Mayli took the seat next to him.

Two glasses – one water, one a cocktail - soon came, but Sam didn't move. He didn't even look up from his focused gaze onto the bottles of liquor in the background. Sam did not want to look at the brunette next to him. He wanted to forget.

How goddamn close he was to ordering alc.

"So, how are you doing?" Mayli asked in her typical, humming voice.  
"I was doing fine." He pressed his teeth.  
"Was? What happened?"  
"What are you doing here." He didn't ask. He demanded an answer.  
Mayli looked at him naively baffled. "Clubbing with everyone else. What else would I be doing here?"  
"Not in this goddamn club." Sam cursed. "In the Selection."  
"I believe…" Mayli trailed off. "I believe that should be clear."  
"No, it isn't to me."  
"I hope to fall in love, of course."  
"I won't let you get close to Mike."  
"That isn't your decision, Sam." Mayli took a slip. Even though her voice was still humming and vibrant, it was different. She wasn't too happy to see him either. At least, she seemed to. Maybe Sam scared her off with his coldness, but he didn't want to see her. "Nor is it your responsibility to babysit the Crown Prince. It's not Rihanna's either."  
"We're not-"  
She rose. "Well, how nice of you to remember me." Mayli smiled brightly – that goddamn innocent smile. As if she couldn't hurt a fly. That smile that made people fall in love with her. "See you later." Words that signalised that she _knew_.

She left without another word, heading back into the crowd to Isadora and Rihanna. Sam was fine with that; any contact the brunette was too much.

"… Give me the strongest drink you have." Sam told the bartender.  
"You sure?"  
He wasn't. Not at all.

Instead of answering, he stood up too, and headed into the crowd – carefully avoiding Mayli. He headed to Tatiana, Africa and Michael. He placed his two hands on his best friend's shoulders. "Mind if I steal Mike for a moment, ladies?"  
"You're free to join us!" Africa smiled happily.  
"Yeah, we're having fun here." Tatiana laughed. Both were tipsy.  
"Yeah, no. Later."  
Michael took the hint. Fortunately, he did. "We'll be right back." He promised the two. "Have you seen Katherine and Rhosyn?"  
Africa and Tatiana both turned around to look for them, and Sam took the chance to pull Michael through the crowd.

They headed to the rooftop of the club – the smoker's corner. It was empty, and the two sat down in the cold night. Instead of talking, Michael wordlessly handed Sam a plastic bag filled with weed. Not too soon later, both were quietly leaning against the wall, smoking.  
"You've got that expression on your face." Michael eventually said. "That… upset one."  
"Mayli Yi."  
"What's with her?"  
"Do you remember that story from when I was fourteen?"  
"Which one?" Michael paused. "… Oh." He realised, and he cursed.

* . * . *

As the time they spent in the club went on, Rihanna grew more and more open. She found herself sitting, giggling and laughing with Katherine, Tilly, Mayli, Isadora, Africa and Tatiana. She hadn't even noticed the disappearance of her friends, but didn't mind – the girls were enjoying themselves. Tate and Africa really got along, she noticed, and Tilly and Mayli were a good influence on Isadora who was slowly opening up. That, and the alcohol.

"So, what's with you and Cecilia?" Katherine asked her.  
"I can't stand her." Rihanna complained.  
"Why?"  
"She always pretends to be important and all, and she's just a bitch."  
"I agree." Katherine laughed. "She is, she is."  
"Have you seen her on the first full day? "Making an impression", she called it. She was absolutely overdressed."  
"She was." Africa nodded. "I agree."  
"Cecilia's…" Rihanna looked for the words. "She started fights on her first day. It's ridiculous. Why even?"  
"Nervousness?" Africa suggested.  
"She knows Mike." Rihanna shot back. "Not as much as I do, but she's got the advantage of being a Stark. He _can't_ just eliminate a Stark."  
"She could probably rob a bank and get away thanks to her name." Katherine remarked.

Rihanna sighed. "Exactly." She wasn't even sure why she hated Cecilia so much. She had a surname that made her important. Unique. Special. She didn't even need to marry Mike to be a person of high social standing – and she had a promising career in politics. Was she so afraid of failing in her party that she wanted to marry the crown prince to maintain status? Rihanna laughed at the thought. Nah, that wasn't Cecilia's style, was it?

"I don't like her either." Katherine admitted.  
Rihanna high fived (or at least tried; she didn't hit) her. "Yes. Another fellow sister bound against the Starks."  
"She doesn't seem friendly, I agree." Tatiana nodded.  
"Haven't met her," Africa spoke up. "But she seriously started fights on her first day?"  
"Yep." Rihanna nodded.  
"She's just another 'daddy's golden child'." Isadora complained. "No, thanks, I can do without them."  
"Absolutely." Katherine nodded. "Yes. Please no upper class-"  
"Seriously?" Isadora rose an eye bow.  
"I had enough of them at school." Katherine explained.  
"Oh gosh, yes." Rihanna realised. "You went to school with her, huh?"  
Katherine nodded. "Terrible."

Rihanna didn't notice that neither Rhosyn, Mayli nor Tilly said anything, but honestly, she was far too involved into talking about Cecilia who had become her nemesis. Katherine's shared dislike (she did not expect that from Kath, but hey! Why not? Another fellow anti-Cecilia was always good, if she had to survive with her) was welcomed, and so was Isadora's. Sure, Tate and Africa didn't seem to be too great fans of the former prime minister's daughter either, but the conversation soon split of into Rihanna, Isadora and Katherine talking, Rhosyn, Mayli and Tilly sitting at the bar, and Tate and Africa heading back to the dance floor.

* . * . *

Eventually, Isadora and Rihanna had joined Africa and Tate on the dance floor, leaving Mayli alone with Rhosyn and Tilly. Politely, the brunette excused herself to head for the bar and order another drink – this time water. She watched the girls on the dance floor, but was more curious about the location of Sam and Mike. Apparently, Mayli realised, she was the only one to realise that they had left. The group's intention was to leave together by car, so she doubted that they would leave them alone without telling that they were leaving. Plus, it was only about ten o'clock. She doubted that the Crown Prince – with his image – would just leave. She concluded that they were somewhere else. But why? It didn't make sense to the brunette.

"What are you looking at?" Isadora asked her. She had appeared out of the nowhere and managed to surprise Mayli. Puzzled, she looked to Isadora who was leaning over the bar and ordering a cocktail from the bartender.  
"Huh?"  
"What are you looking at?" Isadora repeated with a faint smile.  
So she _had_ broken through to her, huh? "I was just wondering where Michael and Sam are."  
"I just saw them coming in, smelling like weed." Isadora answered.

Oh. That made sense. Mayli threw her conspiracy theories aside. The two just didn't want the girls to know that they were doing drugs. Nothing 'they are sneaking away' type or scandalous. Well, it was, but considering Michael's public image, that was pretty much expected from him. She leaned back, disappointed. She had hoped for something more interesting. Something intriguing.  
"Hey, Isa?"  
"Hm?" Isadora looked back to her.  
"Back, before we were together, I was talking to Kath… And…" She trailed off. "No, don't worry." She spoked worried. Should she tell her? Should she keep quiet?  
"What's up?"  
"Never mind." Mayli smiled.  
"You just started talking about Kath. What's up with her?"  
"I… Uh…" Mayli paused. "I'm not sure if I should tell…"  
"I won't talk to anyone." Isadora answered. "There isn't really anyone I'd tell."  
"But… well… We were talking about the other Selected, and she…"  
"Yeah? Don't make me dig, Mayli. Just talk."  
"She said that when you were dancing a while ago, you looked like a blind chicken, and that you were nothing but a snobby, stupid rich child who lived through her parents' money. She called you "daddy's darling" too."

Isadora didn't react. She didn't need to react; Mayli could imagine how she felt. Cold. Empty. Hurt. How mean that comment had been – should she have told her? Yes, Isadora deserved to know, Isadora thought.  
"Thanks for telling me." Isadora spoke with an empty, cold voice. "Another one, bartender."

* . * . *

At two o'clock, the group gathered again in the car that they had called, laughing and happy. Michael was glad to see that the girls were getting along. He himself wasn't drunk – unfortunately. Silvestre wouldn't allow him to ever leave the palace again if he did that, and he wasn't going to give up the little freedoms he had. At least she hadn't said anything about weed.

"So, your highness," Africa leaned forward. "Tell me. Who's your current favourite?"  
"Stop calling me your highness." Michael shot back. "Seriously, don't. I have a name for a reason."  
"Yeah, to be distinguished from ancestors." Rihanna laughed.  
"Bla bla." Michael waved her off. "No, thanks. No need for that." He decided.  
"So, who is it?" Katherine asked. "I'm curious too."

Michael leaned back, thinking. "Not… What's her name again… I forgot it." He laughed. "I'm probably just gonna eliminate everyone whose name I don't know."  
"Then we've gotta make sure that you remember ours!" Tilly declared.  
"Tilly. The husky girl." Michael pointed to her.  
"Bingo!" Everyone clapped and laughed.  
"Who do you know?" Sam laughed.  
"There's Rihanna, and you, Sam." Michael joked. "But yeah, Africa Oaks. The actress."  
Africa made a bow (as far as possible on her seat). "That would be me."  
"Isa, the girl who just wants a club."  
"Yep." Isadora leaned back. "No need to decide for me."  
"You got the taste though." Michael remarked. "Then there's Tatiana, the girl Rock likes, and Ro… Rosin? Raisin? Your nickname is Raisin now. The doctor."  
"It's Rhosyn." Rhosyn laughed nonetheless.  
"Whatever. Raisin, Africa, Rihanna, Tatiana, Isadora, Tilly." Michael counted proud. "Mayli Yi and then Kath from Dominica." He continued counting. "I know you all!" He declared proudly.  
"So, we're not gonna be eliminated?" Tatiana asked – half-joking, half-serious.  
"Not going by my current plan." Michael answered. "But, seriously, this was a good evening." He decided. "And, even better, I have less people to date until the first elimination!" He declared happily.  
"What do you mean?" Tilly leaned back, worried.  
"Silvestre wants me to date each Selected – sans Rihanna – once at least before I can do eliminations. I did… a few. But now, I can take away seven!"  
"I'm pretty sure that mum won't count group trips." Rihanna responded. "That's not her type. She's not gonna let you do them until you've met every girl once."

Michael's mood dropped like a stone in water. Probably even faster. Rihanna had a point. Silvestre wasn't going let a loophole in her decision affect the plan. Never-ever. That wasn't her style. He should have realised that before. Silvestre didn't play along like this.

He sighed dramatically. "Well, in that case, you gotta hang out with me more."  
"Who's tomorrow?" Tilly asked.  
"… Uh. Haven't made plans yet." Michael cursed. "Hey, Tilly, you said you work in an animal shelter?"  
"Yeah…?" Tilly nodded slowly. "There's on in Angeles too. Sam and I often go there if we've got time."  
"Correction – you pull me along." Sam intercepted.  
"Whatever. Wanna go there tomorrow? I am sure you can count _that_ as a date, if cinema counts."

Tilly smiled brightly – too brightly in Michael's opinion – and nodded. "Sure! I'd love to." He then continued to think. The girls of this group where, going by Rihanna and Sam, nice. "And Isa?"  
"What?" Colder, but whatever.  
"I need reason for Silvestre to allow me to drink. Wanna go clubbing tomorrow and call it a date?"  
"If you don't bother me, sure." She shrugged.  
"Fancy." Michael paused. "Okay. Further plans… To be made when we're sober."

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **I do not support smoking and/or drugs at all, but it would be stupid to avoid topics I don't like if I want to write a story properly. That also means I have no idea of anything though.**

 **Also, it's my birthday, so you guys get a bonus chapter. ^_^**


	15. Days in the Sun

**15**

 **Days in the Sun**

Tilly was, once again, awake early. Too early.

Actually way too early, but details. Rather than spending her morning sleeping – going by the palace servants, she was to meet Michael at twelve o'clock – she was awake at eight o'clock. The brunette certainly had little to do; even when her breakfast (everyone else intended to sleep in as long as possible – lessons weren't happening today which Rihanna organised; she knew that at least three people would have a hangover, including herself) arrived, she finished in an instant.

Being used to the cold climate of Whites, Tilly was still way too fascinated by the warmth and sunshine in Angeles. She had a TV series running in the background, but she didn't feel like focusing onto the show – there was too much energy to be used!

After a walk in the garden, going back to her room to watch TV, another walk in the garden and saying hi to some girls, she decided to head back to her room to call her friends. Maybe they had time to spend? Surely, Amelia – her best friend – would have time!

As she strolled through the beautiful halls of Angeles Palace, another Selected, Cecilia Stark, came walking towards her.  
"Miss Joyce?"  
"Ah, yeah, that's me." Tilly smiled. "You're Cecilia, right?"  
"Yes." Cecilia smiled friendly. "We haven't met yet, have we?"  
"Not really, no." Tilly confirmed.  
"You seem to be friends with Rihanna Lorde."  
"Yeah." Tilly nodded. "She's really nice."  
"… Of course she is." Cecilia sighed. "Othilia,"  
"Tilly." Tilly interrupted with an oblivious smile.  
"Pardon me?" Cecilia, who was now starting to circle around her asked.

The blonde's voice was calm, serious, clear but also seemed to have something in it that made Tilly feel unwell. She stood upright on her heels and seemed to look down at Tilly. Tilly was a bit overwhelmed. Cecilia _was_ the daughter of the late prime minister. She _was_ competition.

"Tilly. Everyone calls me Tilly." She explained with a smile nonetheless.  
"Oh… Alright…" Cecilia was surprised, Tilly realised. Surprised, and… a bit disgusted? She didn't seem to think that referring to her by her nickname was right, but why? Because of etiquette? But they weren't in an official space, and everyone else called each other by nicknames too…  
"I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about Rihanna?"  
"Oh, uh, sure?" Tilly nodded. Why did Cecilia want to know that? "She is nice, and really easy-going. She is a good artist – she's shown me some things she did with photoshop. She thinks about-"  
"Not that." Cecilia rolled her eyes annoyed. Her voice grew colder. "Things… Like her relationship to the Crown Prince, for example."  
"To Michael?"  
"The Crown Prince, yes."  
"They're friends." Tilly answered. "Really close friends, I'd say."  
Cecilia paused. "Would you say that they are… more?"  
"I don't know." Tilly genuinely answered.

Well, thinking of it, they seemed to really only be friends. Rihanna had said, multiple times, that she and Michael were only friends, but if that was the case, why would she be participating? Tilly wasn't sure, but believed there to be more.

"Oh, do you?" Cecilia didn't seem to believe her. The blonde sighed. "So, what do you think?"  
"Of whom? The others? Well, I like Mayli, she's really sweet. And-"  
"Yes, I know Mayli Yi, and she is adorable." Cecilia nodded. "But I mean Rihanna."  
"Rihanna? I really like her. As I said, she's-"  
"Not Rihanna." Cecilia sighed. "The Crown Prince."  
"Michael is nice. He invited me to go to an animal shelter today."

Cecilia was dumbfounded – if just for a brief moment. It took Tilly a moment to realise why she was. Everyone else had immediately told everyone that they had a date – she remembered the girl who had been the first (she had been quite a bit jealous after all…) who quite a few had been jealous of.

"Has he?" Cecilia asked distrusting. Oh no, had Tilly done something wrong? Had she said something wrong?  
"Yes, yesterday evening, when we all went clubbing…" Tilly answered after hesitating. She was worried.  
"Clubbing? We all?" Cecilia stepped closer, making Tilly uncomfortable. "Tell me more."  
"Well, we-"  
"Who?"  
"Rihanna, Michael,-"  
"It's the Crown Prince. Honey, you will never get far if you don't get that."  
"But he told us to call him Michael…?"  
"Did he now?" Cecilia spoke, half-laughing, half in disbelief. She whispered something to herself that Tilly couldn't understand. Cecilia was almost scaring her…  
"Yes."  
She harrumphed. "Whatever. Who else?" She inquired.  
"Sam, Rihanna, Isa, Africa, Rho, Kath and Tate." Tilly's voice shivered.

Cecilia was scary – seriously scary. Couldn't she stop? Be polite rather than… like this? Tilly hadn't done anything wrong, had she? They were just talking about their clubbing trip yesterday, and that Michael had told them that he disliked being called His Highness…

"Ah. What did you do?"  
"C-clubbing."  
"Yes, but what exactly?"  
"We… we went to a club, we drank a bit and went dancing…? What else do you do when clubbing?"

The information didn't seem to be sufficient for Cecilia, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she paused for a moment and remained quiet. The blonde bit on her lip. What was she thinking? It genuinely scared Tilly. She just wanted to be back in her room, call home and all. Not here.

"Oh, thank you very much. It was absolutely wonderful to make your acquaintance, Miss Joyce." Cecilia's sudden sweet voice and smile surprised Tilly, and made her wary. "I hope we'll meet again very soon."

Tilly was glad when Cecilia left. More than just glad.

* . * . *

"Alright, Miss Joyce, the camera isn't going to move – just look at me. I know that you're probably nervous, but it'll be alright." Silvestre's smile was warming and reassuring. She gave serious, brief orders to the staff, but when she spoke to Tilly, she was reassuring.

She was good at this, but probably, it was experience. She had done this before already – Tilly had seen the TV reports of the previous dates of the Selection. Right now, she was sitting in the room in which she had met Michael first (and couldn't speak much out of nervousness) on the couch while two staff members were adjusting sound and light. Silvestre had – needlessly – explained to her that they 'briefly' spoke to the girls before and after dates. The Selection was – to some degree – financed by the advertisements that occurred during add breaks of the weekly updates.

"Are you ready?" Silvestre asked Tilly when she had glanced off nervously.  
"Uh, yes." Tilly nodded. "But could you call me Tilly? Miss Joyce… It's weird."  
"Sure." Silvestre smiled.

The camera man gave quiet signals towards the two, and then, the camera beeped briefly. They were recording. She could screw up as much as she wanted – they had enough time, going by Silvestre, and could cut – but she was still nervous.

"Introduce yourself briefly."  
Tilly nodded. "My name is Tilly Joyce. I'm nineteen years old and from Whites. I recently finished my training to become a nurse. I like helping people. That's why I wanted to become a nurse. I also like animals and help out at a local animal shelter."

Silvestre smiled encouraging. "And today?"  
"The Crown Prince invited me to come to a local animal shelter with him after I mentioned that I do that a lot at home."  
"What are you expecting?"  
"Uh… I don't really have many expectations? I mean, we – that is Rihanna, Isa, Tate, Rho, Africa, Kath and Mayli went clubbing yesterday, with Michael and Sam. It was really cool to be hanging out as a group, but I don't know how it'll be if we're alone."  
"What do you think of him?"  
Tilly smiled. "Judge a man based on how he treats animals." She explained. "He certainly doesn't fail that test."

* . * . *

"You look good." Michael commented when Tilly joined him in the car that was meant to drive them through Angeles.  
Tilly blushed. "Thank you."

The black car had coloured windows and soon started to drive. Tilly wasn't sure; should she look out of the window and use the chance to see Angeles, or talk to Michael? She looked in between both, trying to catch a glimpse of both.

That, apparently, amused Michael. The Crown Prince – in casual clothes that could have been worn by her friends at home (if not for the clear difference in temperature).  
"Have you never been here before?"  
"No, not really." Tilly answered. "Well, no. I've never been here before."  
"Have you not taken some kind sightseeing trip after you came here?"  
"I visited some sights, but I don't feel like I saw much either way…" Tilly admitted. "Some people apparently knew who I was and wanted to talk to me."  
Michael sighed. "Yeah, that's annoying."  
"It was scary. At home, I know everyone, but they were pure strangers."  
"Try not to go out in clothes that might be recognised." Michael recommended. "Things that blend in."  
Tilly nodded. "Africa told me a lot about that yesterday."  
"She seems to know heaps about that stuff." Michael laughed. "I can't help you much with that – I've never done any sightseeing."  
"You didn't?"  
"No. Too much of a security risk."  
"That's… sad." Tilly spoke. He hadn't even seen his own country?  
"Yeah, it's weird. I'm the Crown Prince of Illéa and I'd get lost in central LA." Michael laughed dry, because directing his words to the driver. "Take a detour. No one's expecting us, so we'll be fine." He ordered.  
"Thank you." Tilly said grateful. "Isn't there going to be a camera team again? I remember that quite a few people were at the cinema. I saw it on TV."  
Michael nodded. "Yeah, that was leaked on purpose, but I don't want anyone at the shelter. It's too much stress for the animals." He answered, glaring outside. "I wouldn't want to do that to them."

That was sweet, Tilly thought. He really cared for animals. Going by what she had heard of the girls' talking and Rihanna, he and Princess Emilia had been taking care of their dogs every morning together. The siblings' schedule didn't always match up, but in the rare occasions that it worked, they walked together. Now Michael was alone with Rock and Flora.

While they travelled through Los Angeles, the Illéan capital, Michael asked the driver to comment what buildings were what. They didn't have enough time to actually stop by for each of the sighs, but the driver has grown up in Angeles and could give them quite a few funny details.

From what Tilly noticed when she looked to Michael when they left the central city to head to the animal shelter, he smiled calmly. A content expression – not of overflowing happiness, but also not of annoyance, boredom or sadness. She was glad – even if he was forced into this situation, he at least seemed to have fun too.

"What do you usually do at the shelter?" Tilly asked when they arrived. Michael had briefly spoken to some employees who seemed to know them well, gotten his hands on keys, and guided Tilly to a part of the shelter. Going by the signals, it was the home of dogs.  
"Whatever they need and whatever I can do. We'll walk the dogs today." Michael answered. "I usually end up walking dogs though; I can handle them best. What kind of dog do you have?"  
"Mr. Serious is a husky." Tilly answered. "They're most common in Whites. Have you ever been there?"  
"For ski holidays, yes, but we've only visited resorts – not much else. Angeles much be quite a difference then."  
"It is." Tilly nodded.  
"Aside of the animal shelter work," Michael paused to greet the dogs.

The pause turned quite long, because most of the dogs seemed not only to recognise Michael but also to like him very much. They all rushed towards him, barking and with waving tails. Adorable, Tilly thought when she kneed down to greet them too. Most of them very soon attacked her with happy greetings as well.

Only when all the dogs they were taking on the first walk were prepared with leashes and they headed into the nearby park, Tilly remembered that Michael had started to say something.  
"What did you want to say before the dogs came?" She asked, handling the multiple leashes without problems. Sure, the high heels hadn't been the best choice, but she was in a far too good mood to bother with that. Worst case, she could always take them off.  
"I was going to ask what you do aside of the animal shelter."  
"Hmm. I wouldn't know what I'd love more. More than work at the shelter, I mean." Tilly paused. "Well, I've finished my training, but hobby-wise, I like to go outside into the snow with Mr. Serious and building snowman."  
"Well, you can't exactly do this here." Michael laughed.  
"Yeah, I know." Tilly laughed. "It's like another world here." She explained. "I also do typical stuff like late-night phone calls with my best friend, shopping, parties, binge-watching series and pranking my brother?"  
"Pranking your brother?" Michael asked surprised. "Tell me more."  
"Oh, I'm doing nothing special." Tilly waved it off. "Like putting salt into the sugar box or jumping out from behind a curtain."  
Michael laughed. "That sounds like something Rihanna would do too."

Tilly froze briefly. Michael often seemed to come back at the girl. Did he might like her more than he admitted? She felt heavy-hearted. Sure, they knew each other for longer, but did she even have any chance?

"What do you mean?" She forced a smile.  
"When we were kids, Emmy was really shy. She always hid behind mother." Michael began to explain. She smiled reminiscent. He liked that memory, Tilly concluded. "Whenever Rihanna visited – which was pretty much every day – she used to jump scare her. I don't know how they ended up being best friends, but Rihanna helped Emmy to grow into the person she is today…"  
"You really like her, huh?"  
"She's like a sister to me." Michael answered. "Honestly, if Silvestre hadn't adopted her, I could have seen mother doing it."

Did he mean that though, or was he just telling himself that? Was Rihanna really a sister to him, or was he telling himself that because it was too strange for him to love her because of Emilia?

"How do you feel about her being in the Selection?"  
"One name less I need to learn, honestly." Michael answered after brief hesitation. "Yeah, one girl less in general. Rihanna told me that she told you guys about… you know what?" He looked around himself slightly paranoid. Probably worried about being heard, Tilly thought.  
"Yes, she did." Tilly affirmed.  
"Rihanna's basically just in for the fun." Michael added.  
"Hmhm." Tilly nodded absentminded.

Did he notice? That he was hurting her? She needed to get away from this topic, away from Rihanna and all. She wanted to enjoy this, like yesterday. She wanted to spend time with the prince – not talking about Rihanna.

"What do you think of all?"  
"Of what?" Tilly asked.  
"The Selection."  
"I think it's a sweet idea."  
Michael laughed quietly. "Have you ever seen The Bachelor?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"This is basically The Bachelor ft. The Crown Prince."  
Tilly paused, realising the connections between the two. "Then you should offer the girls you won't eliminate a rose." She suggested.  
Michael paused. "… I am totally going to suggest this to Silvestre." He laughed. "Although, I'm worried she'll say no because it'll look like I'm turning the Selection into a joke."  
"You have to have something to enjoy too!"  
"Apparently, the three people who have a real say all think that having a palace full of girls is enough for that." Michael rolled his eyes.  
"Who? Silvestre and…?"  
"My father and the prime minister." Michael answered. "It's weird enough that my – and I am not allowed to vote! – marriage is being influenced by him."  
"You cannot vote?"  
Michael shook his head. "The monarchy is to keep out of politics completely. No opinions, no say, no vote." He explained.  
"Oh…" Tilly was surprised. She herself had no real political position and understood pretty much nothing about it – she had never spent time on it, but Michael had never had a say in whenever he wanted to or not.

Silence fell as they continued to walk the dogs. Tilly considered asking about things, but she was too worried to return to Rihanna. Talk about favourite movies and series, maybe? But what if he shared his taste with Rihanna? With a heavy heart, she dared to – and fortunately, he didn't bring up the blonde again. Their taste in series and movies fortunately turned out to be the same – they even had watched the same series' as children. Very soon, Tilly started to forget the whole problems, him bringing up Rihanna had caused her. She came to enjoy herself and laughed happily with the Crown Prince. He was great to be with, he was fun and a nice person, Tilly thought. The press got a wrong image of him, for sure – he wasn't that irresponsible at all. While continuing to talk about a popular TV series both watched, they started throwing sticks for the dogs who seemed to enjoy the game of fetch just as much as the two did. Tilly was having a great time again.

"Oh, I'm rooting for her too. I like it that she's a strong lead, but not your stereotype woman type. She isn't cold, determinant and all but sweet and gentle, yet a strong person. What about-"  
Michael interrupted her. "Hey, Tilly?"  
"Hm?"  
"Would you want to be a princess?"  
"Why not?"  
"Privacy? Security risks? No political opinion? Unable to pursue the things you want to do? Always having to follow stupid rules? Being basically always stalked by people? Public pressure and co.?"

Tilly paused, looking towards the warm sky of Angeles. She enjoyed the warm light of the afternoon sun and closed her eyes. The wind peacefully touched her hair, the dogs pulled their leashes. She thought about what the Crown Prince just had said.

"Yeah, I'd want to."

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **I'm terrible in writing dates. So, this chapter was originally meant to include things, but welp. Cecilia had to appear. I feel sorry for Tilly. Happy Sunday. Next update'll be on Wednesday, followed by Saturday/Friday because I'm flying to Europe on Sunday.**

 **Come and join us on Discord! discord . gg / AptvJM**


	16. When Can I See You Again?

**16**

 **When can I see you again?**

Rhosyn closed her book and eyes.

Following the clubbing night, things calmed down fairly quickly. Rhosyn, Tatiana and Katherine had decided to go to town to buy books on the following day, and Africa, Mayli and Isadora (through Mayli) had come along. In the evening, they had been joined by Tilly and Rihanna – after Tilly had been released from Silvestre's questioning – and they had spent the evening watching movies. The following days were filled with the girls' lessons and nothing particularly interesting had happened. Isadora had had a 'date', but neither Isa nor Michael remembered anything; their security swore that they hadn't spent much time together, but to Rihanna's surprise, Silvestre had just accepted it.

"The Selection isn't too bad," Rhosyn admitted while lying on a beach towel on the grass and listening to Juli Hemmings' newest album.  
The girls weren't in the woman's room – with Tilly and Rihanna often joining them, tensions between the group and Cecilia had been inevitable, and most of the girls preferred being outside either way. Tilly _really_ loved the weather.  
"It's basically just good food, saying hi to some cameras and occasionally hanging out with some random dude," Africa summarized. She was sunbathing.  
"I probably could have attended university either way," Rhosyn added, "the whole thing isn't taking too much time."  
"What about the protocol and etiquette lessons though?" Katherine asked from behind a book.  
"My parents made me learn that for the 'social season'." Rhosyn rolled her eyes.  
"Same." Isadora – who was finally warming up thanks to Mayli – commented. She was sunbathing too.  
"Social season?" Tilly asked.  
"Basically the rich and fancy people meeting up, drinking tea and talking," Rihanna explained, "If you wanna be a princess, then that's your future. It's all about networking."  
"It's not that big in Honduras," Rhosyn began to explain, "but my parents are taking all chances they can get."  
"After the Selection, they won't be able to complain about your manners anymore though," Tatiana reminded her friendly. At least that was true, yes.  
"Yeah, absolutely!" Tilly nodded cheerfully. "You're really good too."  
Rho smiled. "Thanks. But I doubt that'll stop them. And I still have much to learn – who says that I won't be eliminated early on?"  
"On what are you basing that?" Rihanna, without moving an inch, asking. Sunglasses and a cap hid her fase; Rhosyn couldn't see her expression. She probably knew more than the friends, anyone in the Selection, and maybe even her mother. Michael did seem to be very close to her.  
"The fact that I'm one of the girls who haven't had a date yet," Rhosyn answered after a moment of thinking.  
"There are still more than ten girls left to have one, including me. And Kath. And Tate. And Africa. And Mayli. And Cecilia Stark."  
"What _is_ Michael's opinion on Cecilia?"  
Rihanna sighed. "I genuinely don't know. Which, by the way, is freaking annoying." She turned around, dropping the black cap. "I told him to eliminate her, but he can't because she's a Stark. Image reasons; mum's worried. So, yes, we'll need to deal with her. For a while."  
Isa groaned. "Please no."  
"Do you wanna spread false rumors about her?" Africa shrugged. "There's no way we'll get the Stark girl out of the Selection unless she does something wrong herself."  
"Do you think the prime minister'll talk Michael into marrying her?" Tilly wondered nervously.  
Rihanna shook her head. "From what mum told me, Greene's always been jealous of Alexander Stark. He needs Cecilia for the publicity and to pretend to be grateful for her father's services to the country, but he won't want her around forever. His fraction of the party dislikes her, I think."  
"You know a lot about politics," Tatiana concluded.  
Rihanna shook her head. "Nope. Mum just likes to rant to me about work."  
"So, what is planned for the Selection?" Mayli asked curious.  
"Mike's to date every girl once and then can have eliminations. As he said, he's planning to go by whose name he remembers. Don't ask me when that'll happen though – he's expected to attend some events all over the country soon, and they are too high profile for us to tag along. That, and moving thirty-five girls across Illéa costs money," Rihanna explained, "Things will slow down soon."

From Rhosyn's point of view, she could see Michael entering the part of the garden they were in. She didn't think much of it – he lived here and had all right to be in the garden, but as he approached the group of girls, she came to realize that he wanted something from the girls.  
"Hello everyone," the prince greeted the girls. Most of them – all but Isadora – looked up, curious to see what he wanted, "hey, Raisin, mind if I talk to you alone for a moment?"  
"… Raisin?" Rhosyn rose an eyebrow, but the other girls laughed. Very helpful friends, she thought with a smile. "Seriously?"  
"I have thirty-five names to remember. You're Raisin now, if you want it or not," Michael said - dead serious.

Seconds later, the group broke into laughter. Michael offered Rhosyn a hand to stand up – he seemed serious in talking to 'Raisin' – which she took. She briefly adjusted her clothes and picked up her book to make sure that she wouldn't forget on which page she was.  
"So, what's up?"  
"I'd like to talk in private." Michael repeated. Rihanna whistled with a laughing grin on her face; Michael just rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
"That's alright with me." Rhosyn answered.

Michael guided her a bit off the group – just out of hearing distance – and took a breath to focus.  
"I know that I'm meant to do this seriously and all, but Rihanna hinted that it wasn't exactly your idea to end up in the Selection either, and you're by far my best shot."  
"On what…?" Rhosyn asked slowly, having no real idea what he was talking about.  
"I want to see Emmy," Michael answered, "but Silvestre isn't letting me go anytime soon, not until I've spent time with all girls, and it's… it's just weird. I used to visit her every day. I heard that the doctor in charge of her is also called Reynolds, and going by my file, he's your father. I was wondering if we could use our "date" as an excuse for me to go there, and you to see your family?" he suggested.  
The "That's fine! Of course." came faster out of Rhosyn's mouth than she'd have liked. If she openly admitted to Michael that she wasn't interested in the Selection, did that risk her chances? Would her parents be fine with her being among the first to be eliminated?  
Michael sighed relieved, "You're awesome, Raisin. Thank you so much."  
"No worries. I can understand that. I'd love to see my brother, but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon." Rhosyn explained herself.  
"Your brother? Doesn't he live in Angeles?" Michael asked, "… Sorry. I just read through the file I have on you."  
"No worries. I guess you being given info on all girls could have been expected," Rhosyn answered, "and no, I mean my other brother. My family has been working as doctors forever, but Ken wanted to do music. He was shunned by my family for that. I haven't seen him in ages."  
"Why not contact him?"  
"I'm worried about my career. My parents have quite much influence in the medical field, and they _really_ seem to hate him, so… I just don't want to risk anything."  
"Hence you being here?"  
"Yes, exactly."  
Michael sighed, "Silvestre's team should have made sure that people actually _wanted_ to do this nonsense…"  
Rhosyn chuckled. "That sounds like an intelligent idea to me."  
"The Selection doesn't sound like one though."  
"Good point."  
"Alright, can I meet you tomorrow here? After your lessons? I'll tell Silvestre that we'll… I dunno. Go to a park, the city or so, and to the hospital because you'd like to see your father. That's more than enough reason to avoid anyone bringing a big camera. Just… tell her some nonsense that she'll believe-" Michael shrugged. "- I'm not good in making up stuff."  
"I'll give my best." Rhosyn smiled.

* . * . *

Michael didn't have time to join the others - he had work on his own - but Rhosyn returned to her friends to vaguely explain them what they'd do. Once again, she didn't want to break the Crown Prince's trust – she didn't tell them the true purpose of the 'date'. Not yet at least; they probably could add one and two together either way.

The 'interview', Tilly and Isadora had mentioned, happened before the lessons – and went by without much interesting happening. Rhosyn introduced herself once more, described what she had done until now and who she got along well (she simply listed the other seven girls) and what interesting things had occurred until now. She decided to go with the idea of Michael and her going to a park she knew well. Silvestre seemed to buy the lie – as Rihanna would later on tell her, she had either no idea or accepted Michael's and Rhosyn's decision.

Michael waited for her at the entrance of the Women's Room, leading to curious chatter among some girls. Rhosyn was one of the last to leave the room – on purpose, she hoped that most girls had left.

"What took you so long?" Michael teased friendly when she came out.  
"Some people really seem… how do I phrase it…"  
"Bitchy?" Michael suggested, "That's what Rihanna says, at least."  
"Rihanna really keeps you updated, huh?" Rhosyn remarked as they walked outside.  
"That's… pretty much her job."  
"Her job?"  
"She's kind of my insider in the Selection," Michael answered.  
"You guys are pretty bad at keeping secrets," Rhosyn remarked, remembering how much Sam, Michael and Rihanna had told them by now.  
"Well…" Michael paused. "… Yeah, pretty much." He shrugged. "I guess I could try more, but we four have never been that I-won't-tell-you-anything." He paused again. "Well, usually at least."

They reached the cars – black and not very obvious, probably on purpose – and the driver opened the door for them. As the car left the palace grounds and turned into the streets, Rhosyn wondered if she should start a conversation. About what? From what she knew, Michael liked parties and animals. She didn't _mind_ animals, but she wasn't a fan either. Clubbing had never been something she liked either – at high school and university. She really needed hobbies.  
"There's a change of plans," Michael spoke to the driver, gaining Rho's attention, "please head to Angeles hospital."  
Oh, good. For a moment, Rho had thought that Michael was going to take her somewhere else, but that made sense. Silvestre's team hadn't been told the truth. That meant that the driver hadn't been either. Rho smiled – she knew more than they did.  
"I'll call you when to pick us up, and where," Michael added, seconds before the driver was able to speak up. His voice was firm – by far not as firm as it could be – but he probably had had some form of training in that stuff at some point. Rho remembered her parents pulling her to drama classes in order to 'help her' overcome her 'shyness'. She wasn't shy – just not interested in socializing!

Angeles Hospital wasn't too far from the palace. Rhosyn had seen the palace before when she had visited her brother who worked there. Ever since he married her mean sister-in-law, he lived in Angeles, not Honduras. It was only a question of time until the rest of the Reynolds followed – Rho's father already resided her, due to an 'important' job at the hospital.

Whatever that was. Rhosyn hadn't told him that she was coming.

Despite a hospital staff member intending to show Michael the way, he rushed ahead. He clearly knew his way around, Rhosyn noted, or he at least knew how to get to his sister. Sweet, she thought as she followed – slower and only after waiting for them to get visitor IDs. He really cared for her. Seeing the blonde princess comatose made Rhosyn uncomfortable. She stopped in the door frame – Rho was just the excuse for Michael to get here, she didn't want to invade his personal sphere and the two's privacy.

"Are you ok, Raisin?" Michael asked nonetheless. Oh, Rho thought. He had noticed.  
"Hm? Yeah." She nodded.  
"Why are you standing in the door frame then…?"  
"Oh… Right…" Rhosyn quickly close the door behind her. "Do you know how she's doing?"  
"From what I know, not much has changed. But I'm worried about her. No one else affected by the attack on the parliament is still comatose – they're either recovering… or dead…"  
Right. Queen Charlotte. A taboo – no one spoke about her, unless it was in remembrance of the beloved queen. Thinking of it, Rhosyn realized, she had no idea how the relationship between Michael and the late queen was – Emilia and Charlotte often worked together, but Michael? He must have caused her many worries…

Michael took a seat. "I often wonder what mother would do," he admitted, as if he had read her mind. Rhosyn was about to ask how he knew that she had thought of the queen, but quickly realized why. There was a photo, beautifully framed, of the King, the Queen and their children on the nightstand. Going by how the prince and princess looked like, it wasn't older than a year. It showed them at a lake – probably in northern Illéa - on a ranch. Charlotte had loved horses – animals in general – and often donated and helped with their welfare. Mother and son were side by side with the dog, Rock, wearing clothes fit for horse back riding. Emilia and Richard were standing in normal clothes – probably not riding.  
"Against public opinion, we got along well. 'I love you, darling. No matter what happens,' she'd always say." Michael continued to tell reminiscent. He had noticed her glance. "That was… summer last year, I think. Shortly before Rihanna and Emilia started travelling. Mum taught me how to ride when I was young. She loved that ranch – it was her escape. She once spent a whole year there when she wasn't feeling well – without any contact home!" Michael laughed.  
"She must have been a great woman and mother," Rhosyn came to say, hoping not to touch bad feelings.  
"Yes, she is. Was..." Michael answered, "I always could tell her all secrets I had. She wouldn't have let this all happen either…"

Rhosyn nodded politely. What should she say? Nothing? That was inadequate, right? But what _could_ she say? She hadn't _lost_ a family member, she wasn't born in the eye of the public either. She probably would say something wrong that would get her into trouble…

"She'd hate to see Cecilia living in the palace too."  
"Cecilia?" Rhosyn repeated surprised.  
"She doesn't like politicians to mix with our family," Michael answered, still using the present tense, "And the fact that I can't stand her makes her even worse."

"You don't like her?" Rhosyn repeated surprised. She hadn't expected that – Cecilia always seemed friendly around him. He shared Rihanna's opinion, Rhosyn concluded.  
"Nope. I can't stand her," Michael answered.  
"But you need to keep her."  
"Yes- " What Rihanna said was true, huh? "- I mean, I get that she'd be good in the whole job, but I am not – and I don't need a constant reminder of that."  
"The job?"  
"Being a royal -" Michael leaned backwards. "- even if it doesn't sound so, it requires skills. You need to always make sure not to break taboos and all, and I'm just… not the type to always think about that. I'm better with animals."  
"What would you have done if you could have chosen freely?"  
"Tried to become a vet?" Michael laughed. "But I probably wouldn't have been good enough. Maybe work at an animal shelter full time."

Probably. Rhosyn nodded and took a seat as well. He seemed like his strengths really were somewhere else. Going by what she had heard ever since the Selection began, he seemed more nature-loving and an animal friend rather than a party beast. Tilly had talked more than enough about that.

The door opened.  
"Rhosyn? What are you doing here, darling?"  
Immediately, Rhosyn rose and turned around – just to face Dr. Jason Reynolds, her father. Looking as good as ever – handsome and neat – her father stood, surprised, in the door frame, before politely bowing to Michael who nodded it off.  
"I… Uh…"  
"I invited her to come with me, Dr Reynolds." Michael answered and rose as well. He spoke… firm. Polite. Not like he usually did. "If I understand it correctly, you are Rai- Rhosyn's father?" He didn't use that nickname in front of others, huh?  
"Yes, your highness."  
"It is nice to see you." Michael nodded. "Thank you very much – as always – for helping my sister."  
"It is my greatest pleasure. Helping people is my job." Dr Reynolds answered, with a polite smile. No, it wasn't, Rhosyn thought. He cared about being perceived as Princess Emilia Schreave's doctor. Nothing else. He beamed… Probably because he thought that Michael and Rho were close, the brunette concluded. Why else would he take one of thirty-five girls to see his ill sister? She rolled her eyes.  
"Well, everything seems alright to me," He didn't even check, Rho realized. A nurse had probably mentioned their visit to him and he 'happened to' come in. "I will not disturb you any further and take my leave."  
Michael smiled politely. "It was nice to have met you."

Michael's smile dropped the instant, Dr Reynolds left the room. Rhosyn's smile dropped too. At least they had that in common. Rhosyn wondered how much Michael had seen of her father's true intentions, but Rihanna probably had told him some things.

"If you don't mind, can we leave, or so? You can stay and return later too, if you want. I… I just need a drink now."

* . * .*

Rhosyn took the offer in order to visit her brother, Dr Jason Jr. Reynolds, but he was working, so she just quickly waved to him and signalised that he should call her soon, before joining Michael on his way home. The Crown Prince stopped at the club they had visited before, Rhosyn headed to Angeles Palace.

After dropping her bag in her room, she headed out to find her friends – going by what she was told by some other girls, Africa, Isadora, Tilly, Rihanna, Tatiana and Mayli had gone for yet another shopping trip. Katherine was in her room – but before Rhosyn could head there, Silvestre stopped her. Right, Rhosyn remembered. Make up a story.

She decided to tell them about the nickname 'Raisin' rather than anything that really happened, and the team seemed perfectly happy with that.

She knocked at Katherine's door who called her to enter very soon. The two friends soon came to talk – mainly about Rho's family and the visit. Rhosyn still wasn't sure whenever she should tell everyone the things, Michael had revealed to her, and once again remained quiet. She didn't want to gossip – that felt wrong.

"I… I feel like I misunderstand him." The brunette admitted.  
"Hm? What do you mean?" Katherine asked.  
"The more I know, he seems to be more… 'misplaced' to me."  
"Misplaced?" Kath repeated.  
"He doesn't belong into his position. Being the Crown Prince, I mean. He'd be better off if he could just do work with animals in peace. He seems to care a lot about them; going by Tilly, he can't go to the shelter often because of the press following him."  
"Huh…?" Katherine paused. "Do you think… I kinda got on the wrong feet with what I spoke about at the first meeting?" She seemed worried and guilty, Rhosyn realised.  
"I wouldn't think so." Rhosyn answered. "He could have stopped you anytime."  
"Right…" Kath sighed relieved.

Another knock.  
"Come in?" Katherine sat up, curious to see who'd come in.  
It was Mayli, who probably had just returned from their shopping trip. "Mind if I join you?" She asked shily.  
"Sure, come in." Katherine briefly glanced to Rhosyn who was fine with it too. Both nodded and smiled.  
"Thank you." Mayli sighed relieved and sat down. "I… Uh… I feel like I should tell you guys something."  
"What do you mean?" Katherine asked confused.  
"When I went shopping today… Well… I was talking to Isadora and Tilly, and the topic ended with the other Selected. Isadora said that you, Kath, would be a snobby, rich girl, daddy's golden child and… more I don't want to repeat. And Tilly… She said that you, Rho, are 'really stupid'. She joked that you must be very 'dumb', because you never skipped a grade. She said that you'll probably never finish your degree too."

Neither Katherine nor Rhosyn moved. Surprised – Kath would have expected that from Isadora - _she_ was the snobby one! -but Tilly? She was a walking ray of sunshine! Both girls couldn't believe it.  
"What… can you tell us more?" Katherine asked after a moment.  
"I… Uh… I feel like I already said more than enough…" Mayli was visibly uncomfortable.  
"Please, this is-"  
"I really…. I feel like I shouldn't have said this in the first place." Mayli rose. "I apologise for bothering you."  
"No!" Rhosyn rose too. "It's fine – we won't tell anyone – just… Wait. Tell me – us – more."  
Mayli shook her head – worried and anxious. "I… I really should go. She left without another word.

Katherine took a deep breath and leaned forward. She needed a break to comprehend this. Rhosyn sacked down onto the sofa again – equally confused and overloaded. The whole Selection had just taken another turn, huh?

* . * .*

 **Author's Note**

 **I know that I'm switching a lot between the nicknames, but I want to help you guys remember who is who – even if it's obvious.**

 **Next chapter: "Talk"**

 **Kay, review.**

 **Also – I am looking for a beta reader to go through the chapters and tell me grammar mistakes / logic errors primarily, but general criticism before uploading is also appreciated. People having experience with grammar and writing are preferred. :)**


	17. Talk

**17**

 **Talk**

The black limousine was almost there, Tatiana realised. She briefly glanced over the dress. It was one of the dresses, her mother had given her to take. The rosé colour wasn't Tatiana's favourite colour, but she couldn't lie – it looked good. The top was filled with small glitter pieces, the skirt was wide and full of tulle. Africa had helped her with her hair too – she'd look great, the self-designated stylist of the friends had decided. She was going to be fine, she thought.

"Sorry for pulling you into this all of the sudden." Michael said next to her.  
"No worries." Tatiana smiled. "The movie was good."  
No, it wasn't, but details. They had spent the whole duration discussing how _terrible_ the movie was, but exactly that had been the fun aspect. She was glad that they agreed on how terrible the movie had been too. Overall, it had been a quite pleasant time – and this now? She'd manage. She had been to premieres before; she'd cope well. The movie afternoon had overall been fun, Tatiana decided.

"Are you nervous?"  
"A little bit." Tatiana admitted. "But it's not that bad."  
"Huh?"  
"I've been to movie premieres with my parents before." She explained. "I've walked over the red carpet before."  
"Great." Michael smiled. "Because I am."  
"Haven't you done this before?"  
"Not with someone who's competing to marry me." Michael remarked, half-sarcastic.  
"Good point." Tatiana smiled. "What do _you_ think I should expect? I know what Miss Lorde told me."  
"Probably lots of people being surprised that I pulled one of you guys with me already. Lots of questions about me, the others, you, us… Don't answer most of them."

Michael was right. The opening of the new buildings of the Angeles Film School was a high-profile event – he had been invited and ended up taking Tatiana along on the prompt of Silvestre's team to bring one of the girls along. High profile meant that they were going to be in public eye, hence Silvestre's crash course on media appearances.

The limousine stopped in front of the red carpet, leaving Tatiana unable to ask why he had decided to pull her along instead of any of the other girls. It was already dark – one could barely see the stars though because the city was too bright – and the bright flashes of the cameras when Tatiana exited the car briefly blinded her. Michael prove to be capable of helping and guided her over the red carpet.

"How come you invited me?" Tatiana whispered to him as they headed for the reception of the new school building. The last one had been old, Tate believed to remember. "And how come it was so late?"  
"Uh…" Michael chuckled embarrassed. "So, first of all, no one actually told me of this until yesterday morning. Silvestre's team knew because they work with the office that coordinates my and Emmy's engagements, and they thought that it'd be nice if I pulled one of you guys along. They'd been considering who for a while – because apparently, I don't have a say in that either – until Silvestre mentioned that they hadn't decided yet yesterday. Once I was updated on what was going on, I looked at the files myself and selected one. That's how you got the invite for a movie afternoon and evening engagement." Michael answered.  
"Why me though?"  
"Well, first of all, I wanted to go for someone I didn't date yet, because, you know, I want to get to the first eliminations already." He laughed at his own words. "Out of all girls left, I needed someone who wouldn't freak out or misbehave in the public eye – that's my job – and it came down to you."  
"Why not Africa then? She's done this her whole life."  
"Honestly?" Michael smirked. "She's an actress, and this is a film school. While there's enough similarity, it felt weird to me to pull someone along who's already _in_ the business and not studying. Plus, you mentioned that you want to go to film school, so," He gestured with his hands. "Have a look around a potential school?"

The two laughed – something that did not go unnoticed by the other guests and journalists. By now, Tatiana had been photographed more than she could have counted, but that was something, she should have expected. Something she did expect, so she smiled. She played along, waving at the cameras and briefly stopping to pose for them.

"You're good at this." Michael remarked.  
"My mum's fault."  
"She's an actress, isn't she?"  
"Yeah." Tatiana nodded slightly, keeping her voice down.

She stopped after a few younger children, kneeing down a bit to meet them on face level.  
"Hello!" The young girl waved. "Miss, can I have your autograph?"  
One of the things, Tatiana had been warned, or well, reminded of – the Selection was (despite Michael's image; nothing stopped fairy tale stories, apparently) a national hit. The girls had fans and antis. These two children seemed to be fans.  
"Sure." Tatiana smiled and took the magazine and the pen from the second girl, scribbled her name on it and handed it back. The cover had been about a few of the Selected, including Tate herself, Isadora and Africa. Probably the girls with connections to the film industry – she knew the magazine. Adequate, the brunette thought, and continued with conversing with the crowd.

A few autographs and selfies later, the couple finally reached the entrance of the reception of the event. Michael and Tatiana were greeted by guests and staff alike, and eventually came to stop inside – away from all the curious cameras. Michael briefly excused himself to greet a few people he apparently needed to, leaving Tatiana alone.

"How does it come that you, out of all people, are here?" A woman approached her.  
"Excuse me?" Tatiana blinked confused.  
"Oh, I apologise." The red head smiled. "Scarlet Hunter, I write for magazines produced by The Angeles Times, among other things."  
"Nice to meet you." Tatiana smiled. Her mother had drilled this into her head more than one time – be nice to journalists; they decide how the world views you. "I'm-"  
"Tatiana Loveren; honey, I don't live behind the moon."  
"Oh." Tate blinked. Fail.  
"Now, how does it come that you were invited to such a high-profile event, out of all girls?" Scarlet leaned over the high table, visibly curious. How did she even get into here, if all other journalists were outside?  
"I… was asked?"  
Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Not the answer, I'm looking for."  
"Well, it is the answer."  
"And why were you asked?" She hummed.  
"Because… I am considering going to film school…?" Tatiana wasn't sure if she should answer these questions. Silvestre had certainly been strong minded about not telling too much, but just telling Scarlet that she had no comment seemed mean.  
"But if you were to win the Selection, you wouldn't be able to attend the Selection. Does that mean that we can expect you to leave it soon?"  
"What? No!" Tatiana shook her head. She had no intentions of leaving anytime soon. She liked it – who didn't want to live in a palace?  
"So, you'd like to stay, but Michael doesn't want you to?"  
"I… Uh…" Didn't he say he'd eliminate all girls whose name he couldn't remember? She couldn't say that though – officially, she didn't even know.  
"Yes…?" Scarlet's face was filled with a bright grin.  
"I…" Tatiana realised what she could say. She smiled. "I am sorry, but my contract forbids me to reveal such details.

Scarlet's smile dropped. She fiddled with her black dress, briefly thinking. As short as the pause was, Tate was grateful for it. She needed the time to think. She wasn't willing to reveal anything about the other girls, and didn't really like to admit that (as far as she knew), no one – including herself – seemed to have had a romantic relationship with the Crown Prince yet.

"Well, well…" Scarlet shook her head. "Tatiana, honey, you'll need allies."  
"For what?" Tatiana chuckled – acting training coming in helpful to overplay her nervousness.  
"We all know that Michael's image… could be improved." She answered. "Meaning that no one – darling, I have known Silvestre for so long; she won't accept an media drama – but someone liked by Illéa will win."  
"… The Selection is for love, Miss Hunter."  
"Yes, yes, yes. And I am the empress of New Asia." Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Talk to me, be my ally – and I will help you."

Tate didn't really intend to win – Michael was, if even, a friend - but if she wanted to become a director, she'd need to play the game too. She'd need to be careful though.

"What would you want me to talk about?"  
"A little bird told me that there are rumours about a date for eliminations?"  
"There's no fixed date, I promise." Tatiana answered. "But… my little birds have told me that Michael has a vague idea of who to eliminate."  
"Who?"  
"I don't know the names."  
Scarlet sighed. "Well, that's more than I got from others."  
"Others?"  
"Honey, some of you girls are _terrible_ in going out without being recognised." Thank you, Africa. "And if someone doesn't want to end in a bulk of people, one talks." She winked.  
"Anything else?"  
"… Anyone to have an eye on?"  
"You've said it yourself – someone with a good media image."  
"Cecilia Stark."  
Tatiana remembered Rihanna complaining about her staying in the Selection. "I'm sure she'll make it far."  
"How far though?" Scarlet wondered. "She might just pass the first elimination. In terms of time, that _is_ far."  
"What do you mean?" Tatiana asked.  
"Historically speaking, there had been eliminations after the first meeting. That was more than two weeks ago by now, and nothing has happened. We've gotten updates on about twenty dates, leaving fifteen girls – including Cecilia Stark and Rihanna Lorde, two favourites. Michael is leaving himself lots of time, sure, but people are surprised that there weren't immediate eliminations."

Because Silvestre doesn't want them, Tatiana thought. The more girls there were, the longer the Selection would span, meaning there was more distraction – exactly what the prime minister wanted from Michael.

"I didn't know that." Tatiana admitted.  
"Who do _you_ think is a favourite?"  
"Hmm…" Tatiana wasn't sure. "I don't know that much about most girls." She admitted. "Maybe Tilly? Michael seems to love animals a lot, and so does she. But, as I said I don't know."  
"Tilly?"  
"Othilia Joyce." Tatiana explained. "Nineteen years old, from Whites. A walking ray of sunshine, basically."  
Scarlet giggled. "A sweet description. Do you know her well?"  
"She's a part of the group of girls I've been around a lot."  
"Which includes…?"  
"Tilly, Isadora Bonovich, Rhosyn Reynolds, Katherine Rhodes, Africa Oaks, Mayli Yi, Rihanna Lorde and me." Tatiana answered.  
"Isadora is the daughter of Alexandria Bonovich. Do you know her?"  
"No, but I think my mother does. I'm pretty sure, actually."  
"And Alina Oaks too?"  
"Yes."  
"Would you say you've gotten together through your mother?"  
"No, definitely not. Africa and Isa became friends through Mayli, I believe, and we met each other because we were sat together at the welcome banquet."  
"Isadora, you, Rhosyn, Rihanna and Katherine attended the same school as Princess Emilia. Is that correct?"  
"Yes, but I never met any of the girls before. Kath was two years above us, Rho spent all her time studying and I only came to the school for high school. I never met Isa either, and Rihanna and Her Highness were a year below us."  
"So, you wouldn't say that that was of any advantage?"  
"No, not at all."  
"Interesting. What about the other girls?"  
"For Rihanna, yes, but I don't think that any of the others got anything through it."  
"Do Cecilia Stark and Katherine Rhodes know each other? They were in the same year group."  
"I think so," Tatiana started. "but I'm not sure about whenever they really knew each other." Kath didn't seem to like Cecilia, but Tate wasn't sure with that either.  
Scarlet nodded. "Interesting. What about any other girls?"  
"I've mainly been around these girls."  
"Would you like to meet them, or has there been… tensions?"  
"I wouldn't say so." Aside of Cecilia and Rihanna, but she wasn't going to mention that. "I just haven't had the chance until now. I like my friends. Everyone is very nice."  
"That's nice to know." Scarlet commented.  
"Are you not making any notes?" Tatiana asked surprised.  
As answer, Scarlet rose a voice recorder she had been holding in her hand. "This is a public space, you're a person of public interest and Illéan law allows me to record our conversation. I hope you don't mind." The journalist smiled. She was ready to use dirty methods, Tatiana realised. Good to know.  
"Oh." Tatiana just said. She knew that, but also sighed. She should have made sure that Scarlet didn't record her.  
"Don't worry, you'll be more careful next time. Do you think learned the names by now?" Scarlet laughed.  
"Absolutely not." Tatiana joined her. "What's your next question?"  
Tatiana wouldn't get to her any more questions.

"Scarlet Hunter, again." Michael returned to Tatiana and Scarlet. "Nice to see you again."  
"The pleasure is all mine." Scarlet smiled sweetly.  
"Say, would you mind leaving Miss Loveren? She isn't here to be interrogated by you."  
"Oh, but we were having such a sweet conversation." Scarlet answered bitter sweet. They both were just pretending to be polite, but they seemed to know each other.  
"I'm sure there will be time, eventually."  
Scarlet sighed. "Oh, well, then, see you later, honey! It's always nice to make friends." So they were allies, Tatiana understood.  
"It was nice to meet you." Tatiana politely answered.

"Are you okay? Scarlet can be a bit… pushy."  
"I think I'm fine."  
"If not, tell Silvestre. Scarlet and Silvestre are friends; she can do heaps of damage control."  
"Damage control?" Tatiana giggled. "I thought you trusted me with being in the public eye!"  
Michael shrugged. "Yeah, but Silvestre doesn't trust me."  
"No one seems to trust you." Tate teased.  
"Well, they do have a point." Michael joked. "But, well, would you like to meet the school staff? Someone volunteered to give you a short tour."

Tatiana smiled. "I'd love to."

* . * . *

When Tatiana arrived in the Women's Room in the next morning, she gained the attention of most girls. Her 'alliance' with Scarlet had already proven useful; the red heard had written a complimenting article on her own blog. The brunette could expect to be on the cover of the magazine, she worked for, next week.

Tatiana simply smiled and joined her friends quietly, content if not happy about the success of the last evening. She had certainly enjoyed it.  
"Good morning." She wished everyone.  
"Yes, good morning." Kath smiled forced, glaring towards Isadora, Tilly, Africa and Mayli who were sitting on the other side of the table, the girls usually occupied. Tatiana herself sat down next to Rhosyn and Katherine, confused about the cold climate between the girls. Where was Rihanna? She usually joined them, ever since the girls, Sam and Michael had gone clubbing together.  
"Did… something happen? Where's Rihanna? Did she sleep in again?"  
"Oh, nothing happened." Africa rolled her eyes. "Absolutely nothing, you know." She hissed.  
"… What?"  
"Oh, I am sure that absolutely _nothing_ happened; at least not to you." Africa laughed sarcastically. "If something happened to us, someone like you wouldn't _ever_ need to bother to care."

Were they jealous that Michael had invited her to come to the event? But they had been with her when he had invited her, and yesterday afternoon, they seemed perfectly fine with it! Sure, Kath and Rho had been a bit absentminded, but they had been so sweet and helpful with doing research on the event and guests, and Africa had helped her with her outfit too. She hadn't done anything to Africa.

"Of course, I care about you. You're my friends!" Tatiana answered. "Why wouldn't I?"  
"Well, someone who acts like a, I quote, a drunk pig, surely isn't equal to someone like you." Africa called her out.  
"… Are you saying that I said that?" Tatiana repeated.  
"Yes, obviously. Are you that stupid?"  
"No, I never said that!"  
"I have a trustworthy source." Africa shot back.  
"Well, your 'source' is wrong." Tatiana answered angry.

Isadora leaned back. Until now, she had been reading a magazine, and Tatiana thought that she hadn't even listened to them. The blonde placed the magazine on the table.  
"Just as wrong as Katherine calling me a snobby, rich daddy's golden darling that dances like a chicken?" She asked, without eye contact or emotions. "I get that you three might like to backtalk people, but doing that so openly is just stupid."  
"I said _what_!?" Katherine rose her voice. "You're the snobby, rich child!"  
"Exactly. You three need to stop talking about others as if no one'd hear you." Rhosyn added, less loud. "Othilia, I understand that you might feel intelligent because you skipped grades, but that is – first of all – not a measurement of intelligence but simply pushing students through school faster. Secondly, my school stopped allowing people to do that in generally, and it won't impact my ability to study medicine. I am not stupid, thank you."  
"What?" Tilly asked confused, almost with tears in her eyes. "You're the one to call _me_ stupid, just because I decided to become a nurse rather than a doctor. You know, doctors couldn't ever work without nurses!"

Rhosyn joined Katherine in standing. "Let's leave. Tate?" She said, without looking to the other four.  
"Agreed." Katherine added, equally cold. "There's no need for us to listen to this nonsense."

Briefly unsure – she hadn't said anything like that, and couldn't imagine the other things either – Tatiana came to stand up too, after seeing Tilly almost crying and the cold glances of Isa and Africa.  
"Yeah. Let's leave." She spoke, with a sad voice. There was no reason to stay – there'd just be more chaos.

 **Author's Note**

 **Scarlet will be a recurring character in the first arc; you can find a brief description of her on my slide show. Celegra, the 'red' I mentioned ages ago is the red carpet. :P**

 **Next Chapter: "Paralyzed"**


	18. Paralysed

**18**

 **Paralysed**

 **TRIGGER WARNING: Anxiety / panic attack / breakdown, implied r*pe / sexual harassment offenses**

"Sam! Mike!"

Rihanna pretty much fell into the room where Sam, Michael and a few other (confused, slightly surprised) organisation team members, as well as Rihanna's mother, were currently discussing the recent coverage of yesterday's event.

"- which is why I'll have someone go over that with the girls." Silvestre finished her sentence, ignoring her daughter. "Rihanna Lorde, you better have a good reason for this."  
"Yes, I do!"  
"Discounts at Icon do not count."  
"I don't… actually, they might. Summer's over after all…" Rihanna shook her head. "Wait, no, that's not why I am here. But yes, the end of summer sale is happening."  
"Nice to know…?" Michael commented, as confused as most staff.  
"What's happening?" Sam asked, leaning back. Rihanna wasn't stupid, he thought. She wouldn't just barge into the meeting room, if it wasn't for something important.  
"We need to talk."  
"Then talk?" Michael shrugged.  
"Not here, alone." Rihanna answered. "Private stuff."  
"Is it related to the Selection?" Silvestre asked.  
"Yes, but-"  
"Then this concerns everyone in the room."  
"Yes, but, it's still private."  
"… Did you start dating one of the girls?"

Michael's suggestion made Sam chuckle inappropriately – Michael's joke was not received well by Silvestre. She probably considered the possibility for a mere moment, despite knowing that Rihanna was straight.

"No, no, no, I just- Ugh." She groaned. "Just let me talk to you guys without fifty thousand adults watching." She pressed, annoyed and in a hurry.  
"Let us finish this meeting, and then we can talk?" Sam suggested.  
"What's so important?"  
"Tatiana's made quite the impression on Scarlet." Silvestre summarised. "Knowing Scarlet, she got something in return."  
"Scarlet?" Rihanna repeated. "Hunter? Your best friend from when you worked with The Angeles Times?"  
"That it not open for discussion right now, Rihanna."  
"I'm your daughter!"  
"You are also a participant in the Selection, and it could give you an advantage." Richard spoke up.

Usually, the King enjoyed the playful banters between his own family and the two Lorde women, and he did enjoy this too right now, but he had been told enough about the journalist in question that he worried about what Tatiana Loveren had spoken about. Michael hadn't exactly told anyone much about his own feelings, and Richard preferred to know before the whole world.

"I'm not intending to win." Rihanna reminded the King after a moment of silence. "But, whatever. Finish your meeting, and you two come and see me afterwards." She pointed to her two friends, hoping that the anger and energy behind the words would make them feel forced to come.

The moment Rihanna left the room, Richard turned to Silvestre. "You need to get control of that girl, or she's gonna be the next scandal."  
"I know. I know." Silvestre muttered, before continuing to speak about the actual topic – Scarlet Hunter.

Sam watched Michael for a while; he had been tensed the whole time over, and Rihanna's mysterious demand for a conversation would probably not make the whole situation easier for him to handle. He hated Scarlet Hunter, more than anyone else. Well, Sam thought, he hated the press in general.

* . * . *

Once the meeting was over, Michael and Sam (with the mission to tell Silvestre what was happening) left to find their friend. Rihanna was, fortunately, waiting at the door of the meeting room, reading things on her phone.  
"Finally!" The blonde exclaimed gladly when she recognised the two.  
"What's so important that you had to interrupt a meeting like this?" Sam asked, knowing that Michael wasn't up to anything stressful.  
"I need you to do something for me, Mike."  
The prince sighed. "What?"  
"Eliminate Rhosyn, Isadora, Africa, Tilly, Katherine and Tatiana."  
"… What?" Michael blinked. "Why so many, why now and why these?"

Sam wondered if he considered doing that. Rihanna _was_ one of his best friends, but Michael knew that he wouldn't find a way out of this, unless Greene lost his majority in parliament. He was looking for the least bad choice, and from what Sam had been told, Michael didn't mind these girls, save for Katherine.

"Okay. Let's go to your room, we need to talk through this."  
"Rihanna?" Sam spoke up. "I have a job. I can't just go and hang out with you."  
"You're not hanging out! You're assisting the Crown Prince with the Selection!"  
"Convince your mother." Sam answered, silencing Rihanna. "Give me a short summary."  
"Okay, so, a reliable source told me, that they've been backtalking me the whole time. Not in a bitchy, girly way, but that they've actually sent images of me to some press contacts of Isa's, Tate's and Africa's family and-"  
"Who is that source?"  
"Mayli Yi." Rihanna answered quickly. "And they-"

Sam nodded it off. "Alright, I get the gist. Fill Mike on the details, if he's interested, and discuss that later. Mike?"  
"Hm?" He reacted. That was good, Sam thought.  
"Are we still gonna do the Netflix marathon tonight?"  
"Netflix…?" Michael blinked, trying to remember what Sam was talking about. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Absolutely. That'll be cool. See you later."

The next stop for Sam was the Women's Room, because he had to inform the girls of the media training session, as well as ask Tatiana to come to Silvestre's office to explain Scarlet Hunter. Sam was incredibly glad that no one (yet) had gotten the idea that this was Michael's fault, because he left her alone, but that was going to come, and Sam knew that.

He jogged down the stairs, just to run into Tatiana, Katherine and Rhosyn who seemed to be heading upstairs. He needed to talk to Tatiana, yes, but Sam wasn't sure whenever he should do that while she was with her friends.  
"Ah, Sam?" Rho called out.  
"Oh, hey, what's up?" He, forcing himself to be casual, stopped.  
"Bitch fight." Tatiana summarised.  
"Huh?" Sam blinked. That sounded a lot like what Rihanna had said. Didn't the six girls, Rihanna named before, Rihanna and Mayli hang out together a lot? "What do you mean? What happened?"  
"We're looking for Rihanna." Katherine explained. "We wanted to ask her if she knows more about it."

Sam was getting a very, very bad feeling on this. Already before, when Rihanna had told the two about the situation, he wasn't feeling trusting Rihanna's side completely. He doubted Rihanna – or Rho, as a matter of fact – would lie, but he doubted that they knew the truth themselves.

"What happened?" Sam asked directly.  
"Africa, Tilly and Isadora have been backtalking us in a… very inappropriate way." Katherine, coldly, commented. "I understand that this is a competition, but, the way they did it was just… childish. Almost like Ce-" She stopped herself from finishing Cecilia Stark's name.  
"Cecilia, yeah." Sam nodded. "I know her, and how much of a bitch she is."  
"Nice to know." Kath's words were dry.  
"How do you know?" Sam continued to ask.  
"Mayli told us." Tatiana answered. Probably acting before thinking, Sam thought, as her two friends didn't seem too happy with that revelation. "Please don't tell anyone that. I think she really likes them, but couldn't stand the backtalking.  
"Of course." This time, Sam's words were dry. "I… I think I know a bit of what's going on, I will look into it."  
"Really?" Rho paused. "But isn't that favouritism?"  
Sam shrugged. "Nah. I have a better reason, if anyone asks."  
"That is…?" Katherine asked wary.  
"Don't worry about it." Sam waved it off. "Rihanna's with Mike right now, so better don't bother them." Damage control, Sam thought. "I'll take care of it; there's more to this, I think.  
"It's just girls drama." Katherine remarked. "We can take care of this on our own."  
"Katherine, if it was just that, I'd let you do that." Sam answered. "There's more to this; I know that."  
"What?"  
"I can't tell you that now, but I'll come back to you as soon as possible. Just stay away from the four, and Rihanna too."  
"What has Rihanna to do with that?" Tatiana asked.  
"Long story. She's not the bad guy though, I promise." Sam answered. "I need you guys to make sure that you'll be at the lessons tomorrow, ready to take in stuff. You guys will get some media training."  
"Media training?" Tatiana was surprised. "Did I do something wrong yesterday?"  
"And I need you to talk to Silvestre."  
"Did she?" Katherine, ready to defend her friend, interrupted. "Did she do something wrong?"  
"We aren't sure of that yet." Sam answered hesitant. "Just, don't trust Scarlet Hunter?"  
"Who's that?" Kath and Rho asked in union.  
"I'll tell you guys about her on the way." Tatiana answered worried. "I will head to Miss Lorde now."  
"Cool, thanks." Sam nodded her off, heading onwards.

* . * . *

Rihanna's 'problem' was really not worth Michael's attention, he thought when heading out of his room a bit later. Theoretically, his plans (yes, he had a plan by now! He was organised!) stated to ask the Sumner girl on a date, but after that meeting with the organisation team and Rihanna's story, he felt tired. The organisation team had to deal with a potential leak. That was normal; they obviously weren't very good in avoiding that, but Rihanna's issue was, well, ridiculous. Michael was angry at her for even bothering him with that – "Solve your girl drama on your own." He had told her.

A walk with Rock would be nice. A bottle of wine would be nice too.  
The last time he had gotten his hands on anything mildly alcoholic had been ages ago. Silvestre still had an iron fist on that, unfortunately. He with drawl symptoms were ever present, and while he thought he'd enjoy a walk with Rock, he just didn't feel like it.

His rooms, the decision was.

But of course, the Crown Prince couldn't get any further than leaving the corridor where his room was.  
"Sir, Miss Lorde has requested your presence urgently."  
Michael groaned. "What does she want?"  
"I don't know," The palace staff answered. "but she requested it _now_."  
Annoyed, Michael dropped his head, and nodded, making a very un-princely comment. Whatever Silvestre wanted, it better was good. Did Tatiana know anything that could be of problems?

"Damn it." She did. She knew a lot – like that he never agreed to the Selection in general. If she had leaked that… Well, he'd be dead. Or… Maybe, he'd play the victim role and the public – for once – would side with him? The prospect of that sounded very good. The reaction of everyone else didn't.

"Silvestre? What's up?" Michael opened the door to her office, just to see six girls (the ones Rihanna had mentioned), standing in front of Silvestre's desk, their body language implying that they weren't happy at all. They were silent when the prince entered.

Michael sighed quietly. "Silvestre, if you want me involved into girls' drama – I have 35 girls on my hand and enough of that to deal with."  
"I actually don't." Silvestre answered, and took a folder from her desk. "Do me the favour and read this, we'll talk about it later. I have, as you noticed, girls' drama to deal with." She gave the six a cold glare.

Surprised that the call to her office a) wasn't anyhow his fault and b) he wasn't required to stay or anything, Michael grabbed the folder.  
"Anything else?" He asked suspicious.  
"Text me what Rihanna wanted. I got the short story from Sam, but I think you know more?"  
Michael nodded. "Yeah."  
"I'll discuss the folder with you later."

Vigilant – this was over too easy – Michael returned to his rooms. There was some girls' drama going on between the six girls in Silvestre's office, Rihanna and Mayli Yi (who apparently just wanted everyone to be happy, hence her warning Rihanna about the six' actions). Sweet, Michael thought.

Once he reached his room, Michael opened the folder. It was thin – probably something recent – and written by a member of the palace public relations team. He skimmed over the headlines, realising that it also seemed to be about the girls' drama between the eight…

One single section was enough. One sentence was enough. One goddamn word was.

He lost grip of the red folder, Michael's fingers shaking. He choked on air when the wave came in. Like a tsunami, it hit him. His heart raced faster than a rocket, filling his chest with terrible pain. Too fast, Michael thought. Too fast. This wasn't right – not at all, it was going to be his end. Why wasn't he breathing? He couldn't – the air just wasn't coming in. He couldn't move – even though he was shaking. He tried to look around, but couldn't move his eyes. He tried to close his mouth, but he couldn't. Why? He had to get out of here. What was going on? He had to get out of here. What was happening to him? He had to get out of here. He couldn't think straight, jumping from one thing to another. He was going crazy, wasn't he? Going crazy, and dying. One of them – was this a heart attack?

Alone in his room, Michael broke down onto the floor. He didn't realise that himself; his mind was caught in a downwards spiral. He was hyperventilating and sweating, leaving the file that he had dropped just seconds ago alone.

The contents were simple. Someone had uploaded a video of the six girls' fight this morning, and it had reached the public. People demanded to know more details, believing that this wasn't just a cat fight, but that there was more behind it. All of them, the internet concluded, looked stressed – very stressed – and angry. Obviously, the public concluded that the stress came from the Selection itself. Considering how it had been going on, the general census was that it wasn't the fear of being eliminated – unknown sources claimed that the prince intended to meet each girl on a date before eliminating – meaning it had to be something else.

People concluded that Michael had done _something_.

And from that point, the internet did its thing.

* . * . *

When Silvestre had gotten the note from Sam about what Rihanna had been so agitated about, she hadn't been happy. Rihanna took herself too many freedoms – that wasn't new – but she seriously needed to talk to her about bargaining into meeting like that.

Seconds later, she had been given the note about what was going on online. She expected Tatiana to appear anytime soon, but took the time to read through it either way. Girls' drama, she thought annoyed. That had been her greatest worry when Richard had asked her to organise the Selection. She maybe was one of the few people, Michael genuinely respected, but that didn't make her fit to deal with 35 girls.

Silvestre quickly gasped the situation. There had been a fight, and people interpreted far too much into it. As usual, YouTube and reddit where her nightmare. The palace would need to release a statement, but Silvestre wasn't sure how.

If the palace addresses the theories about Michael having done something to the girls (which Silvestre hoped he hadn't; Michael didn't strike her as that type, especially not with his romantic history – he didn't need to force anyone into anything, many girls seemed to be happy to sleep with him), then they'd give them a reason to exist. Meaning that people could think that they were aware of them, but just denied the accusations (that, as of right now, were groundless). If they didn't, then it could seem like they were undermining them.

She sighed, as someone knocked at the door. Tatiana, Silvestre thought, and was proven true. Accompanied by Katherine and Rhosyn, but Silvestre didn't mind that. She'd need to talk to the six girls – and her daughter and Mayli – either way.  
"Come in." Silvestre spoke. "All of you." She added. They probably didn't know of the video yet.

She briefly texted Sam back, asking him to send the other three girls – excluding Mayli, she didn't want that poor girl to get between the fronts – to come too. She also asked someone to find Michael, and copy the file that had been written on the issue, for him to read. They'd need to talk for sure.

"I heard you spoke with Scarlet Hunter."  
"Yeah." Tatiana nodded.  
"I will discuss the general handling with media with you girls later; for now, please tell me what you told her – implied or clearly. She can work with anything."  
Tatiana summarised, as well as she could, leaving Silvestre glad that – at least from Tatiana's perspective – everything seemed dangerous. Tatiana had told her that she had been asked to join Michael because she considered film school. She stated that she didn't expect to leave soon, but also mentioned the situation about her intentions to stay in comparison to film school. That wasn't a cause of worry for Silvestre now – if even, that implied that Tate wanted to stay for a while. Saving herself through the contact (which actually did ask for information to be limited) had been a good idea, Silvestre complimented that. Otherwise, Tatiana hadn't given her anything but the fact that Michael was believed to have a vague idea of who – implied to be a group – to eliminate, nothing that Silvestre worried about now either. The whole conversation had also been about Tatiana's friends, but overall, nothing concerning the current issue had been said. Just rumours and hints, and Silvestre didn't mind speculations on who'd win.

"Now," Silvestre paused as another knock echoed in the room. "Come in."  
Isadora, Africa and Tilly entered – Africa in particular not happy to see the other three girls.  
"Someone explain me this video, and why the country is buzzing about it." She showed it to the girls, minutes before a confused, annoyed Crown Prince would come in briefly.

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **It's been a while since I last wrote a panic attack scene (or really dealt with anything like that), so I hope I didn't completely fail this time. I might come back and edit the scene later, but atm, I have other worries.**

 **Michael having mental health issues has been a thing from the beginning of the planning stages of TRH on, but after getting quite a few characters with that kind of problem, I decided to move it a bit more into the foreground – irony. I originally started writing TRH because I wanted to write something WITHOUT mental health themes. _ Also, I hope this got through, but no one but Sam knows about Mike's problems.**

 **Chronologically, Silvestre's scene is set BEFORE Michael's scene. Stylistic devices etc. (aka I felt like this fitted better.)**

 **Next chapter: "I'm a mess"**


	19. I'm A Mess

**19**

 **I'm a Mess**

 **Trigger warning: implied past self-harm**

Considering how Michael seemed to feel about being called to Silvestre's office (being called to the principal seemed like a dream), Isadora was surprised that the six girls got away that easily – after being asked to write down their version of the story on paper, without talking. That sounded preschool, but after skimming over them, Silvestre seemed happy.

She had gone on with a few questions, but overall, let the girls alone after confirming that they were just angry at each other for breaking the newly established friendship _already_. Silvestre prove to be understanding, promising to try and figure out who had (against the contract they had signed) filmed them too. They were dismissed, and the group split again.

Not that Isa cared about the broken friendship.

Not that she missed the media training because she hid in her room, crying.

Not that she didn't go to dinner either, even when Mayli tried to get her. The brunette ended up comforting her either way, leading to one Selected with teary make up and a worried younger girl occupying the sofa, and hating at the other girls. Isadora eventually pushed Mayli to go and eat dinner; she wasn't convincible to come down. She just wanted to be alone.

Of course, the world did not want to give her that gift: her phone rung.

"What." She hissed into the speaker. Pulling her legs close, she glared at the screen that stated 'Father'.  
"We need to talk." Victor Bonovich answered.  
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? I thought you called to see the view."  
"Yelyzaveta, I am serious."  
"Congratulations on that big achievement."  
Her father ignored her. "What in the world were you thinking?"  
"When? It kinda depends." The blonde shot back.  
"Have you not heard the news? What are you doing all the day?"  
"Which news." Isadora answered cold.  
"Why, in God's name, were you fighting with Katherine Rhodes and her friends?" Her father paused. "In case you – for whatever miracle's sake – happen to care, I am working with her mother on a deal right now."  
"Terrible."  
"Are you aware of the fact that this might risk all I've been working on for the last two months?"  
"No, and I don't really care."

She heard noises coming from the speaker, and correctly assumed that her father was handing the phone to his wife. While her mother continued the rant, Isadora glanced at the scars on her wrist. Light, white, and just deep enough to leave a scar. That brief time where they cared, she thought. Just because of the public image though. Imagine – the Bonovich daughter mentally ill. A scandal, terrible. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Mother, I am _terribly_ sorry that the Crown Prince isn't gay and that you couldn't sent Anton to the Selection, but it was your decision to sign me up in the first case - you live with the consequences."  
"Yelyzaveta, watch your tongue!"  
"That is physically not really possible." She remarked snippy.  
"Yelyzaveta!" Her mother paused agitated. "Unlike _you_ , Katherine is a beloved member of her family, and her parents are very worried about her. I expect you to immediately apologise to her, as soon as possible and make amends."  
"Of course." Isadora puffed. "Anything else? Would you like me to run for prime minister?"

The moment her mother ended the conversation, she pressed the red button and ended the call. Isa glanced at the smartphone for a moment, considering the possibilities. She needed something to drink, yes. She'd ask for some strong alcohol, and forget about this 'disaster' as Alexandria Bonovich had called it.

She threw the phone against the wall, just in case they intended to call again. It shattered, Isadora made the mental note to buy a new one.

Time to get going, she thought, and grabbed her mag. The Goldfinger was waiting.

* . * . *

Usually, Michael did not eat breakfast with his family. Anyone had different things on their schedule, and he liked to sleep in. Usually, he wasn't woken up either – unless he had royal engagements to do. He just got up once in the morning to walk the dogs, and then disappeared in his bed.

But his 'usual' had died the day his mother passed away.

"His Majesty requests your presence at breakfast."

Michael had groaned an "Alright" and proceeded to change. He didn't see his father a lot these days (outside the Selection meetings) because the King had retreated from public life to moan the death of his wife and college sweetheart, and Angeles Palace being large.

The Crown Prince didn't expect to find Silvestre and Rihanna joining them for breakfast either. Usually, Silvestre was up way before him – she was an early bird – and ate before he even woke up for the first time.  
"What owes me the pleasure?" He asked, but found Silvestre and Richard having gloomy faces. He looked over to Rihanna, who shrugged clueless. She knew as little as he did.  
"I thought it… appropriate to ask Rihanna and Silvestre to join us." His father answered.  
"Huh?" Michael paused. "Is that about the news from yesterday? Because you two _know_ that they're false, don't you?" He wasn't sure if they'd believe him, but it was worth a try.  
Silvestre shook her head. "No, no – well, yes. We know that they're nothing but rumours. My team's working on addressing the problem – probably on the report with the girls explaining that they just misunderstood each other."  
Rihanna leaned back annoyed. "You should just eliminate them."  
"No." Silvestre shook her head. "That'd look like we want to get rid of them."  
"Then… I dunno. Get them away from me." She sulked. "And I thought I made new friends…"  
"Just another person wanting to be friends with a princess, huh?" Michael asked.  
"Hey! I have many friends on my own! Emmy's the shy one! … Well, kinda'."

Richard's glance to Silvestre was obvious. "Which brings us to the next topic. There have been updates on Emilia's health."  
Rihanna and Michael looked up in surprise. "Really? When will she wake up? Did she?" He asked.  
"… Probably never."

Silence.

"… What?" Michael froze in fear for his sister.  
"It is unlikely for her to wake up." Silvestre explained. "We've spoken to the hospital this morning."  
Michael rose. "But that is…"  
"I know, it comes as a shock." Silvestre paused. "I'm…" She was holding back tears on her own. Emmy had been like a daughter to her. "I need to ask you not to visit her. You two are being followed by the press 24/7, and it's too much of a risk for this to come out now…"  
"Mum…" Rihanna wasn't holding back the tears. "That… That can't be…"  
"It pains me." Richard nodded. "And I can absolutely understand how you feel-"  
" _ **You haven't visited her once**_ **!"** Michael called out angry.  
The King sighed. "I have duties to attend to, Michael and-"  
"You haven't been doing anything after mother died!"  
"Michael, you don't understand. Sit down and behave properly already."

No. No, he wouldn't. This wasn't doing anything.  
" _ **Just shut up**_!" The prince shouted, before pushing away his chair. He ran off, holding back tears.

There it went away – his final escape plan. If his father passed away, he could always dish up a scandalous story and 'accept the consequences' by passing the crown to his sister, disappear from public life and live a good life, but now?

Impossible.

"Mike? Are you OK?" Sam stopped in front of him.  
Michael didn't look up. "You're seriously the last person I want to see now."  
Sam, genuinely confused, considered stopping him. No, he thought. Wait until he'd cool down, and figure out what happened before. Michael knew that Sam would be there for him, if he asked, but he was the last person the crown prince wanted to see right now.

His phone rung twice; Sam asked what happened.

 **Samuel:** What did just happen?  
 **Rihanna:** Emmy'll die.

Michael didn't want to know how the conversation would go on. He didn't want to be reminded of his sisters' terminal condition. When was the last time they had talked? Months ago. About what even? He had complained about spending time at parliament, and Emmy had tried to encourage him – even though both knew that that was worth little. Always trying to help, Michael thought. He should have been the one hit, not her.

God knew where he was running. Michael maybe grew up in Angeles Palace, but that didn't mean that right now, he had any sense of orientation. He didn't even know what floor he was in. For what he knew, he could be running into the kitchen in the next second.

"Your Highness? Are you alright?"  
He stopped to see a surprised, shy girl – one of the Selected, he remembered – standing in front of him. He vaguely remembered her to be among the girls that had gone to the clubbing night, and seconds later, the name clicked. Mayli Yi. The girl who was friends with the six devils who had gotten him into yesterday's drama.  
"Huh, yeah." No.  
"No, you are not." Mayli shily smiled. "Is there anything I may do?"  
"I… Uh…" Good question. Change reality? He doubted that that was part of Mayli's abilities.  
"If you don't mind, I am a good listener. I'm here for you, if you need me."  
"You have no idea what just happened."  
"No, I don't – not until you explain me." Mayli paused. "If you don't mind, come with me to the garden and tell me. Talking always makes things-"  
"better, yeah. My best friend always says that."  
"Samuel Jones, if I remember correctly?"  
"Yes."  
"What a sweet friend." Mayli smiled. "I hope he only has best intentions for you, and nothing underlying."  
"Sam? Oh, he would never."  
"… People don't always seem to be the type they pretend to be." Mayli answered. "I really believed these girls would be nice, but what they said… I can't believe it myself." Michael groaned at the thought of the girls' drama. "But, let's not discuss that!" She quickly added. "What happened?"

Michael knew that he shouldn't tell her, but he did either way. Once they had reached a quiet, sheltered part of the garden, he soon broke into tears. How weak, he thought. Mayli reassured him that it was fine.

He'd only return to his room in the evening, to share a private dinner with the brunette.

* . * . *

Sam wasn't stupid, he followed his best friend – just to see him in the arms of Mayli Yi. If there was anything worse, Sam couldn't imagine it. He remembered realising that she was in the Selection very well. After realising that dear Cecilia was part of the Selection and hearing the name 'Mayli' from Rihanna, he had started reading through _all_ files in the little free time he had that wasn't spent with Michael or working on other things.

Mayli Yi's name wasn't just a mere coincidence, and Sam knew that. He had recognised her on the image that had been submitted as part of her application. He recognised that innocent smile from miles away. He had seen enough of her in his life.

The decision to call all girls, including Rihanna but not Mayli, hadn't taken more than five seconds after he saw them together. Sam figured out enough of the situation to understand that he really wasn't the person, Mike would want to see.

Rihanna was the first one he'd need. Going by what he'd figure out in the morning from the video (which hadn't been deleted yet), none of the six girls thought that Rihanna had done anything to them. Rihanna just thought that they did something.

"Rihanna, do you have time to talk?" He asked, knocking on her door.  
"Depends."  
"It's me, Sam?"  
"… Alright, come in. Just please tell me that mum didn't send you."

Michael shook his head. "No, she didn't. She doesn't know I'm here."  
"Huh?" Rihanna, with teary make up, looked up. "What do you mean?"  
"I know that Emmy's probably on your mind, but I need your help with something."  
Rihanna sighed. "What is it?"  
"I want to solve the video thing."  
"They deserve the bad press."  
"They don't." Sam responded. "All of you seven have been told lies."  
"… What?" Rihanna blinked.  
"Mayli Yi has told you the lie that the six backtalked you, right?"  
"… Yes. She was with them, and too shy to stop them."  
"That never happened. I ran into Rho and her friends yesterday, and they wanted to know if you knew more about Isadora, Africa and Othilia backtalking them. Vice-versa too, from what I heard."  
"I don't understand…?"  
"Mayli told you seven lies to play you up against each other."  
"Why would she do that?"  
Sam shrugged. "The Selection is a competition." Good, he had another reason to suspect that, but he was pretty sure that Mayli was at fault here. On the video, she had kept away as well, rather than siding with one side or stopping them. Maybe she even had been the one to film it?  
"But… She's a walking ray of sunshine." Rihanna responded.  
"I don't think so." He responded grim.  
"Based on what?"  
"I knew her before the Selection."  
"… Oh." Rihanna blinked, taking another tissue to dry her tears. "So… You are sure?"  
Sam nodded. "I'm sure that if we talk to the other girls, my theory will prove true."  
"Then let's call them together. We've got the perfect excuse – the organisation team needs to deal with the video issue, right?"  
"… Yes." Sam nodded. "And, Rihanna?"  
"Hm?"  
"I saw her comforting Mike today." He paused. "Mayli is toxic. We need to protect him from her. He's too fragile with the whole press disaster and Emmy going on. I don't want him to fall for her and then suffer."  
Rihanna smiled. "You're a good friend. Once we've got the six on board, we'll tell him too."  
"Yeah." He nodded, still worried.

* . * . *

Katherine had expected that something would follow up, after the video had been uploaded. Within the span of the upload and the present, her family had called twice – worried whenever she was feeling well and didn't want to come home, but Kath felt strong enough to be able to continue.

Being requested to come and discuss the situation in a civilised manner had been something, she was absolutely fine with. She just doubted that 'the other side' would be able to do that. Rho didn't seem too happy about the confrontation either, Tate almost worried.

It had been Rihanna who had come to pick them up that convinced them, partwise by promising sweets and food. Africa, Isa and Tilly apparently had agreed too – that, or Sam had threatened them somehow. Surprised that there wasn't anyone else from the organisation team, Katherine took a seat on the opposite side of Isa, who didn't seem to bother with looking up when they came in. A real cat fight, huh?

"Alright." Rihanna closed the door behind her. "Let's start with clarifying something."  
"You aren't here because Silvestre, or anyone else, demanded this." Sam finished. "This meeting is secret – for the moment."  
"… What?" Katherine looked to the two. "That sounds shady."  
"We're just here because mum has things to do in relation to her actual job, and we haven't found time to talk to anyone else yet." Rihanna answered.  
"… So why keep it a secret?"  
"In case someone talks." Sam answered. "I know that you all think that the other side backtalked you, but that's false."  
"I have a good source, Sam." Rho, dry, commented.  
"Mayli Yi, huh?" Rihanna stepped to the table and took a seat.  
"How do you-?!"

Surprise was visible in all faces. Tilly immediately turned to Africa who was equally surprised. Isadora didn't move, but could still share the look that Kath and Rho shared, and Tate's glance to her two friends.

"She told me that you all backtalked me and actually filmed me when I was hungover, with the intention of releasing it." Rihanna casually remarked.  
" _What_?!" Katherine blinked. "That's bullying!"  
"You don't say." Rihanna shrugged. "I know that she lied – now that Sam told me about what you were told. She's playing us all up against each other."  
Sam nodded. "Exactly. I… know Mayli Yi – I knew her before the Selection, and she's exactly that type of person."  
"She isn't!" Africa explained, rising angry. "Mayli's a darling. I knew her too, and she's-"  
"I promise you, I knew her better." Sam remained cool. "I don't want to go into details because it's personal, but take Cecilia, but worse."  
"Cecilia but worse?" Katherine asked. "How is that possible?"  
"She is a prodigy in pretend to be the golden sunshine everyone loves. Once she's gotten close, she'll start using you for her own causes. Like she did with me, like she did with you and like she will with Michael – which I want to prevent."  
"What did she do with us though…?" Tatiana asked surprised.

Sam sighed, and unlocked the tablet on the table. While he was opening something there, Katherine glanced to her friends. Tatiana was surprised, but going by her expression, she seemed to believe him. She seemed sad – they had thought Mayli to be a friend. Rho shared the expression. If Sam really knew her that well, then she'd prefer to believe him. Plus, how could Tilly say these things? She paused. Right, she had thought the same with Mayli.

Sam hold the tablet up, to show the screen to everyone. Rather than an explanation to Tate's question, it showed a photo – a selfie – of a younger Sam and a younger Mayli. Probably about five years ago, Kath realised. They both smiled, they seemed close.

"Take this as a proof that we knew each other. I have more, if you insist." Sam started out.

He seemed to be about to proceed with Tate's question, but Isadora rose. The blonde wordless grabbed her hand bag, without giving a look to anyone, and left her seat.  
"I'm not listening to this nonsense." She said emotionless.  
"Isa…?" Tilly looked after her.  
Kath briefly considered calling her to stay and not be a coward, but that would give Mayli a point, she realised. "Let her go." She advised instead. "She was close to Mayli – she probably needs time. We can talk to her later."  
Tilly glanced to Kath, looking at her worried for a moment, before turning to Africa, who thoughtfully nodded. She agreed – good.  
"But what did she use us for?" Tate repeated, and Kath returned her attention to Sam, who opened something else: YouTube.  
"If you read through the comments, many point out who worried and sad she looks. She basically got the image of the poor little lamb that is caught in a cat fight between her friends and just tries to be stopping the worse."  
"How does that work with the rumours that have been spreading?" Africa asked.  
"They are false." Sam stated in union with Rihanna.  
"Yeah, I know why I am stressed." Africa waved it off. "I want to know how they put that together."  
"In the cases that it came up, people seem to believe that Mayli is of, I quote, no interest for Mike, because she's Asian." Sam rolled his eyes. "So am I, and I'm his best friend. Mike isn't his father."  
"So she's the innocent little girl who just wants to help, but can't." Kath summarised with a cold voice.  
"And she is caught between her dear friends fighting." Tate added, sad but also sarcastic.  
"Exactly." Sam nodded. "I am no professional with journalism or public relations, but that seems to be the general census."  
"What do you guys think?" Rihanna carefully asked. "I don't believe what she told me anymore. It's clear that you guys didn't backtalk me."  
"We did not." Kath affirmed. "Did she tell you, Tilly and Africa, what we allegedly said?"  
"Yes…" Tilly nodded sad.  
"Then I believe you two." Kath decided.  
"I do too." Rho nodded. "I know Sam longer, and Mayli mentioned that she lived in Angeles before. I assume you met then?"  
"Yes, we did." Sam grimly nodded. "She is a toxic person. Don't be around her; she'll just damage you."  
"I… believe you too." Tate nodded. "

Five pairs of eyes looked towards the nervous and awkward Tilly, and Africa who was thinking. The two seemed to have grown close, Kath noted. Probably through Mayli's lies. The thought was ironic – Mayli wanted to cause discord, but instead had made the two become friends.

"I genuinely can't believe it." Africa eventually said. "The Mayli I know isn't like that. She might be a good actress, but she'd never pull that."  
"I… I can't imagine it either." Tilly added.

Rihanna seemed to be about to speak up, but Sam shook his head. Instead, silence fell on the table. Kath glanced to the two girls, thinking of how – aside of making Mayli confess, which she couldn't believe would work anyhow – she could convince them.

"I apologise for anything that I allegedly said." Tate spoke up, interrupting the silence. "I know that you might not believe us, and I understand it, but bad blood won't help any of us – whatever our goals are. It'll just give us a bad image in the Selection."  
Kath nodded. "Tate has a point."  
"We could ask Silvestre if we could include an explanation into the broadcast." Africa suggested careful. She didn't reveal any emotions though, Kath noticed  
"She's already planning that." Sam nodded.  
"We could say it was a misunderstanding and pretend to be friends again, if anyone asks. No one knows how it got online, and it was taken out of context – easily misunderstood."  
"And you could add that you girls had some long movie marathon in the evening – the lack of sleep made you stressed." Sam suggested.  
"I don't think that would be necessary to explain the situation…" Rho remarked.  
"Not the fight, but I don't like to see my best friend accused like this." Sam answered. "And that will be Silvestre's goal with the explanation either way, so you might as well include it from the beginning."

Silence, again, filled with everyone thinking. Kath thought it to be a good plan. Neither Tilly nor Africa seemed to be ready to believe them, and God knew what Isadora would say, but she'd hopefully play along with the lie. She gave a slight not to Rho and Tate, who gave it back.  
"We're in." Tate said.  
Africa and Tilly nodded too. "Same here." Africa decided. "We'll say that we were just tired from the movie marathon, and there was a misunderstanding. The video was taken without our consent out of context."  
"Good." Kath nodded. "Can you talk to Isa?"  
Tilly nodded. "I'll try."  
Sam smiled relieved. "And I will talk to Silvestre about this."

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **This chapter (alongside Days in the Sun) was prolly my favourite to write.**


	20. Rumour

**20**

 **Rumour**

The girls' day was rather boring, Tilly decided.

Africa and Tilly silently joined Isadora, who soon decided to go out; both of them tagged along. The afternoon was spent shopping (or rather dashing from store to store, because all of them were restless) and the evening at Isa's new favourite club.

Africa and Tilly avoided Mayli, but Tilly wasn't sure what Isadora was doing. She seemed careless – not in the happy, carefree way, but more emotionless. It worried her, but Isa didn't talk. At least she agreed to join the explanation – which Silvestre gladly had accepted. Her mind, however, seemed to be somewhere else.

On the next day, the three girls allowed themselves a sleep-in; neither of Tilly's two friends was all to keen to have any social contact in the morning. Tilly's best friend had to work as a talking partner, and fortunately, Amelia was keen to get updated on the Selection.

Only when she arrived in the Women's Room for the mandatory lessons, Tilly noticed the shift in groups. Usually, she had been with the other six, but neither Africa nor Isadora (whom she suspected to be skipping the lesson, again) were present yet. She did notice Tate, Rho and Kath standing in the usual corner, glaring at the main attraction of the day.

Mayli Yi and Cecilia Stark were sitting together near the front, surrounded by the girls that seemed to be Cecilia's friends in general. They were chatting happily – Mayli still seemed shy, but at the same time, comfortable with the attention.

"What…" Tilly blinked.

Cecilia wasn't just scary but also mean, and Mayli knew that. She had heard their friends ranting about her very often – how come they were close friends now? Tilly remembered when she spoke to Cecilia in the hallway. She only had good words for Mayli…

"Good morning." Tate said to Tilly when she joined them, trying to be positive but failing.  
"Hm…" Tilly nodded absentminded.  
"Do you take that as proof?" Kath, salty, asked.  
To the blonde's surprise, Tilly nodded. "Yes."  
"Oh." Kath looked to her. "I thought…"  
"Cecilia is scary." Tilly explained. "She's… scary." She repeated, finding no better word.  
"She's a…" Kath breathed in sharp. "Let's not discuss them."  
"Agreed." Rho nodded, taking a seat. "How was your day?"  
"Shopping and clubbing." Tilly summarised, although she had just tagged along.  
"Sounds fun." Rho answered absentminded.

Africa joined them seconds later, clearly angry and annoyed at Mayli and Cecilia's sudden rise in popularity. Africa was fiddling around with a tablet, barely paying attention to the conversation going on between the other girls about their day and plans.

Africa puffed. "Seriously?" She mumbled.  
"What's up?" Tate asked curious.  
As answer, Africa showed them what she had been reading on her tablet. An online magazine, Tilly recognised. A gossip magazine that published a 'special feature' about the Selection. Africa handed the tablet to Rhosyn who was sitting in the middle, so all could see the article.

Some reports on what had been happening, but the girls had seen the broadcasts too, so there was no need for them to read through a summary of what they, partwise, had gone through live. Especially Tate visiting the Angeles Film School had caught the public's attention.

What the girls were more interested in, what the popularity poll on the first page.  
"What's our ranking?" Kath asked.  
"… Cecilia is first." Rho read out loud. "Mayli is third."  
Africa groaned. "That little bitch…"  
"Rihanna is seventh." Rho looked up. "Where is she?"  
"I'll text her." Tilly suggested, and began typing.  
"… Going on… Africa, you're eleventh."  
"Why only eleventh?" Tate asked surprised. "She's such a popular actress…"  
"Probably because aside of the all-girls events, I haven't done anything yet – aside of hanging out with you guys." Africa answered.  
"Tate, you're twelfth." Rho read out. "The film school thing and Scarlet Hunter's article must have helped."  
"The other girls above are girls Michael already dated, right?" Kath asked.  
Rho nodded. "Yes. There's definitely a preference to them in the ranking. Except Rihanna, Mayli and Cecilia – who both are special cases as we know, they all are girls he already met.  
"But he dated more than seven girls." Tilly remarked – she had watched the broadcasts at least twice, worried about whenever Michael had liked her or not. "Including me…"  
"You're probably more down thanks to the YouTube video." Kath remarked. "Same goes for the rest of us; especially Rho and Isa. Both had 'dates' already too."  
"Africa and me probably just got that high thanks to pre-existing popularity and Scarlet's article." Tate added.  
Tilly nodded. "Where are the others?"  
"You are twenty-first, Tilly." Rho skimmed through the ranking.

Tilly's heart dropped like a stone. Twenty-first? That wasn't exactly high up. Had she made such a bad impression? Surely, Michael would take at least one look at the ranking, and base his opinions on that, wouldn't he?

"I am twenty-eight and Kath is thirtieth. Isa is thirty-fifth." The medicine student finished.  
"Ouch…" Kath paused. "Any idea why?"  
"Isa has… pretty much the same image as Michael. Careless, party girl, the black sheep of an otherwise successful family." Rhosyn had read through the comment on Isadora, and summarised it.  
"So they fit perfectly together!" Tilly remarked.  
"You don't say." Kath nodded. "Seriously, that ranking hasn't taken everything in consideration."

From behind, Rihanna appeared and leaned over the backrest of the sofa, the girls occupied. For once, she wasn't late, and wasn't wearing her pyjamas either. "What'cha reading?"  
"Popularity rankings."  
"Ugh." Rihanna rolled her eyes, especially when she noticed Cecilia's ranking. "What's with Cecilia and everyone liking her? She isn't even that popular here." Wordless Tilly pointed to the crowd of girls around Mayli and Cecilia. "Oh… Seriously? She's such a… I don't even know how to call it."  
"Do you and Cecilia have a past together?" Katherine asked with hesitation. "You really don't like her."  
Rihanna shook her head. "Nah. But when she first came, she started a cat fight at the airport already, and it continued when they arrived here. I think they were the group before you four arrived… Where's Isa?"  
"Probably skipping." Tilly answered. "What else does the article say?"  
"This one?" Rho asked. "Nothing in particular."  
"The headlines did say something about Princess Emilia, didn't they?"  
Rihanna breathed in sharply. "What did they say about Emmy?"

Rhosyn went back to the page that listed all articles, and skimmed the headlines for Emilia's name. It took her a while – there were quite a few interviews with friends and relatives of girls, alongside the reports on the past weeks.  
"She… It says that her health is deteriorating." Rhosyn read out. "The headline itself is, that her condition is terminal… In another wording though."  
"That's probably just a rumour-" Africa waved it off, before she noticed Rihanna's expression.

All noticed the expression; a mix of annoyance, worry and fear. Rihanna stopped learning over the sofa and walked around, grabbing the tablet and opening the article. The blonde girl skimmed through the article and cursed.  
"Wait, is it true?!" Tilly asked surprised. Rihanna was Emilia's best friend – she probably knew more about it.  
"Ridiculously. As mum had summarised everything she told us to the reporter."  
"Since when is she…" Tate broke off.  
"Richard and mum told us yesterday morning."  
"Us?"  
"Mike and me." Rihanna answered. "Sam knows too, but that's everyone – aside of the press team maybe."  
"So someone of the team must have leaked it?" Kath concluded.  
"That, or someone close to Emmy, but that's not happening. Mike doesn't talk to the press unless mum makes him do it, and Richard's been away from the public eye ever since the accident." Rihanna paused. "I didn't tell anyone, and so did Sam. Or, at least, I couldn't see anyone approaching Sam. No one knows he exists."  
"So someone in the organisation team?"  
"I doubt that they'd handle that. More the public relations office; mum's the boss. Wait…" Rihanna pulled out her phone, and called someone – Silvestre.

"Silvestre Lorde, Public-" Silvestre began speaking.  
"Mum?"  
"Rihanna? She seemed surprised. "Honey, I'm busy working. What's so important?"  
"Did you hear that the-"  
"Yes. That's why I'm busy."  
"Do you know how-"  
"No." Silvestre answered cut. "Anything else?"  
"Uh, no, but…"  
"Then, honey, we can talk later." Silvestre paused. "I have to handle this situation on my own. See you later."  
"Later…" Rihanna trailed off, and the call ended. "That was not helpful…"

"But… It is true?" Rhosyn asked.  
"… Yeah. Don't ask me for medical details or anything, but the doctors said that she's got little chances…" Rihanna nodded sad.  
"I am so sorry…" Kath spoke.  
"Don't…" Rihanna sighed. "It's fine. Well, it isn't, but yeah." She sighed. "I don't want to talk about it now." She added. "What else is in the news?" She asked.

Africa had taken her tablet back already, and opened the website again. She skimmed through it, mumbling words such as 'boring', 'don't care' and 'we know that', before stopping. Her face turned dark, angry and she clicked on a headline.  
"What did you find?" Tilly asked. Africa handed her the tablet. The article shocked her.

It was 'just another' article on a girl's date with Michael, but this one hit hard. Not only the paparazzi taken photo – from the distance probably, but it was clear enough who was photographed – but also the headline. Mayli and Michael. Sitting next to each other, arm in arm on the grass, laughing. Mayli was leaning onto him; they clearly seemed close. People remarked that they seemed so much closer than Michael was with any girls. Tilly trembled.

"You're kidding me." Africa sighed and rolled her eyes.  
"No, she isn't." Isadora, without a definite expression on her face, walked towards them. "I just check on her; she's the new favourite of everyone because she's apparently so close to him." She coldly commented.

Isadora went, harsh and disinterest (although, she must care, Tilly thought. She knew too much to just have heard about it), but Tilly's attention moved back to the article. She must had read it at least three times, she thought when she caught herself staring at the picture. Her lip trembled.

Tilly just couldn't find a reason.

* . * . *

Africa didn't pay much attention in the following lesson. They had gone from protocol that they might encounter towards media

Africa didn't pay much attention in the following lesson. They had gone from protocol that they might encounter towards media training, lead by a professional. Silvestre – who usually at least appeared once in the time – didn't appear. Probably Emilia, she concluded.

Their afternoon engagement surprised all of the seven friends – even though they had been 'warned' about this a week ahead. All of them had forgotten about it, and especially Rihanna and Isadora looked like they were already looking for excuses to skip it. Rihanna wasn't feel like going there, and she had been at the parliament before.  
"I could break my leg." Isadora suggested. "Or yours." Way too serious, for Africa's taste, but yes, they were.

All thirty-five Selected were invited to parliament. They had been given a summary of the visit before, but the question whenever the Crown Prince would come along had been left open. Considering the news, Rihanna believed that he wouldn't.  
"I'll text him and ask." The blonde concluded.  
Africa leaned back, glaring at Cecilia and Mayli at the front – happily chatting with the tutor. "At least we've got Rihanna." She mumbled.  
"Mike can't stand Cecilia either."  
"But he obviously likes Mayli." Kath reminded them of the article.

The lesson was over, but none of them felt like moving, but all knew that they had limited time until they were expected to visit the parliament. Africa herself wasn't too happy about the aspect of dealing with politics.  
"We should go and get food." Rihanna eventually said. "Africa? Are you out stylist again?"  
"Sure." Africa nodded, happy to help. Being the girls' stylist was ridiculously close to what she wanted to do, and it made her happy to be able to do it.

With that decided, the girls moved on to Africa's room which, by now, probably was half-filled with other people's clothes, jewellery and make up. If one of them was to leave, this was going to be a nightmare to sort out.

The girls asked for their lunch to be brought to Africa's room and, despite the changes in the group, a happy chattering filled the room very soon. Once again, Africa found herself talking about movies with Tate, as well as Tilly (who seemed to be quite a fan).  
"Oh, that looks interesting." Katherine, at some point during lunch, said. She had been reading the news (that weren't related to the Selection) until now.  
"What's up?" Tilly asked curious. "More about the whole drama?"  
"No." Kath shook her head. "I just read that The Nutcracker is coming to Los Angeles, from New York."  
"The Nutcracker? A fairy tale?" Rhosyn asked confused. "What?"  
"I mean the ballet."  
"The ballet? You like ballet?" Africa was surprised. "I thought all you talk about is airplanes and physical nonsense."  
"It's not nonsense." Kath sulked sarcastic."  
"It sounds difficult." Tate remarked.  
"It's not rocket science!" Pause. Annoyed glares to Kath. "Wait, it is…." She shook her head. " _Either way,_ yes, I like ballet. Dance and theatre in general."  
"We should go." Tilly suggested. "I read that Los Angeles has quite a few interesting ones."  
"I… I'd be interested." Isa nodded. "Are there still tickets? Can you get them? It's the royal ballet, so they'll be sold out quickly." Rhosyn looked thoughtful, Africa noticed.  
"We'd need to check that we have time though. I can bug mum, but you know that she's busy."  
"We can still sell them online if we don't have time." Tate remarked.  
"Or skip whatever nonsense we're invited to." Isa added.

Strange, Africa thought. Isa hadn't been reading any news the whole time, and unless that was the case, how did she know that it was the Royal Ballet, and nothing else? And how did she know that it was likely to sell out quickly? This wasn't some concert by a singer, but just a ballet show…

"It's sold out." Kath sighed. "Too bad, I'd have liked to go."  
"You know… I think I know someone who might be able to help." Rho remarked. "I'd need to check, and we might not be able to go to the actual show, but my brother has a friend who works there as stage manager, or so. Maybe he can get us into a dress rehearsal? I'd need to ask though. When is it?"  
"Not until a while." Kath responded, showing the date. "But, that would be awesome."  
Isadora nodded. "Yes, I agree."  
"Alright. Onto the dresses now." Africa decided, noticing that everyone had finished. "This'll help our image too, if we're seen in fitting clothes together."

* . * . *

The visit to parliament had been interesting, but boring. In the evening afterwards, Mayli was sitting at her window, counting stars and skimming through the paper sheets filled with law course notes. Visiting the supreme court would have been more interesting, the law student thought. She glanced over the notes, Cecilia had given to her. It didn't take much for the brunette to realise that Cecilia hadn't inherited any of her father's talents; it really was a miracle that she finished her degree. How was she intending to become a politician? Mayli didn't know.

Whatever. Cecilia had proven herself more than enough useful to tackle this. The brunette glanced at the over the other files that were on the table – the other Selected. Filled with notes on what others thought of them (Michael's thoughts were marked red) and ordered into various categories, ranging from unlikely to stay and definitely in until the Elite. Through Rihanna and her friends, she had learned who wasn't in the Selection by luck. Knowledge that would help her.

She glanced to the screen of the old laptop placed on the table. A Google Sheets file was opened, with numbers all over. A bit complicated maybe, but they told Mayli more than enough. How much time she had left. How much time she needed to spend here. How the status quo was.  
The amount of money she needed to finish her degree.  
The amount of money she had earned through modelling and other work.  
The amount of money living was costing her.  
The amount of money the Selection payed her.  
The amount of debts her family was in.  
She was still in red numbers.

Carefully – it was almost time! – she closed her laptop, and alongside the files on the girls, placed them into a bag which disappeared under her bed. She took the law notes, and dropped them on the table seconds later; they were useless to her. She could do better by just listening to her professors. A final glance into the mirror – did she look good? – and she sat down on the sofa, grabbing the book she had been reading and pretending to do so until the door knocked.

Michael came in, and their 'date' began perfectly fine, with a private dinner. This time, it was an official one – and no a day that they ended up spending together after Michael's sister's condition was concluded to be terminal. They spent their time talking about Michael's love for animals.  
"It must be great to grow up surrounded by animals." Mayli remarked.  
"I didn't grow up _surrounded_ by them, but yeah. Do you have pets?"  
"No, I don't, and never did. Too expensive." Mayli explained. "We never could afford it."  
"I'm sorry to hear that."  
Mayli smiled, slightly sad. "No, it's fine… Thank you for letting me be here, again."  
"Seriously, I didn't do anything." Michael laughed. "This wasn't even my idea."  
"But still. I'm amazed that Greene didn't block me."  
"Why would he?"  
"His party is very conservative; they're against immigrants." Mayli explained. "My parents are Chinese immigrants. I'm surprised that Cecilia is evening hanging out with me…"  
"I officially don't have political opinions," Michael began. "But, between us two, I can't wait for the next elections. Without Stark, Greene's party will lose, and we'll have someone who doesn't think that people who aren't white and LGBT aren't humans." He sighed. "I don't care about that stuff though, so if you ever have problems, come to me." He smiled. "So, how did your childhood look like?"

* . * . *

 **People in the Selection I like**

 **Rihanna Lorde:** Okay. I know, it's like midnight, but have a group chat.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** With a creative name.  
 **Samuel Jones:** I'm not in the Selection, thank you.  
 **Tatiana Loveren:** ^ I ship it. Michael x Sam haha  
 **Africa Oaks:** That'd be a plot twist  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Make this canon. You two would fit lol  
 **Samuel Jones:** Rihanna, we just discussed my ex-girlfriend…?  
 **Samuel Jones:** AND we wanted to discuss the problem with Mike and Mayli?  
 **Samuel Jones:** also imagine Richard and his son being gay  
 **Samuel Jones:** it nearly turned into a publicity disaster when his convo with Stark came out where they were homophobic  
 **Samuel Jones:** and I'm half-asian  
 **Samuel Jones:** we both know that if Silvestre wasn't Charlotte's best friend, he'd probably only put her into the kitchen. If even  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Right. Calm down lol  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** I thought you were pro lgbt. No need to rant  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Is everyone up?  
 **Othilia Joyce:** Tate, Africa and me are watching movies together.  
 **Katherine Rhodes:** I'm awake too. I'm not so sure about Rho and Isa though.  
 **Isadora Bonovich:** I'm awake. Can't sleep. Want me to wake up Rhosyn?  
 **Rhosyn Reynolds:** No need to. Your messages did the job.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Cool.  
 **Katherine Rhodes:** What is the purpose of this chat?  
 **Samuel Jones:** Long story short, Mike had another date with Mayli. As I told you before, I know her well, and I'm growing worried about their relationship. It might be a far shot, but I don't want to risk Mike growing to like her.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Yep.  
 **Isadora Bonovich** : Are you sure tho.  
 **Katherine Rhodes:** Yeah, I mean, pulling them apart is kinda mean if Mike didn't want the Selection in the first place and now he found someone he likes? I want an explanation from Mayli, yes, but that sounds a bit too far?

 _Samuel Jones sent 10 photos._

Aside of two photos of a younger Mayli and a younger Sam, Sam had sent eight screenshots – years old – of old text messages. The two photos showed Mayli kissing Sam from behind in a park in Angeles, and the other showed them together at the beach. The screenshots of texts were more than clear as well.

 **Samuel Jones:** She's my ex-girlfriend. We dated for about a year.  
 **Samuel Jones:** She's a toxic, abusive girlfriend, and I don't want her anywhere near Mike. She'll just use him. She blackmailed me multiple times and stole money from me.  
 **Samuel Jones:** And she probably was the one to leak Emilia's health condition too.

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **I'm gonna say that the capital of Angeles is LA now.**

 **I was originally including a scene with Greene, but realised that it honestly doesn't do much here; the issue came through with Mayli/Mike's conversation. But yeah, the girls visited the parliament. Because why not.**

 **The last section was meant to be an IRL meeting, but because I like writing chat style and chronologically, this would have been late, have a midnight chat. Plus, the chapter was already long.**


	21. Toxic

**21**

 **Toxic**

Silvestre's office was not always empty. Yes, she had always often accompanied her best friend to engagements or preferred to walk through her department's office when she wasn't doing paperwork herself. Right now, it was empty because her daughter had asked her to come by.

By the tone of the voicemail, it either meant that she was pregnant or a better actress than Silvestre anticipated. Fortunately, it turned out to be the latter.

"Summarise that for me." Silvestre sighed. She was sitting with her daughter and Sam who was constantly opening new screenshots on his phone and old emails.  
"Mayli Yi is my ex-girlfriend. We dated when she was fourteen and broke off when she was sixteen."  
"Because she is a toxic, abusive bitch." Rihanna added agitated.  
"Language."  
"You need to get her out of the Selection before she does even more damage!" Her daughter added.  
"Causing some girls to have a cat fight is not that much damage." Silvestre reminded them.  
"Mike told her about Emilia, and the next day, it was online." Sam remarked.  
"Rihanna told you too, on exactly the same day. What makes you more trustworthy?"  
"Mike and Sam have been best friends for four years!"  
"Four and a half, actually."  
"Details. They're best friends – and Sam cares for Emmy too. Why would he do that?"

Silvestre eyes Sam. She didn't trust him – she never did. His background was… lacking information. Questionable. Not secure. She lived to know where people came from, and with Sam, she only knew that he attended a high school in a ghetto. A miracle that he had gotten into uni, probably onto Mike's costs. The three friends cared too much for him. Who said that their relationship wasn't the opposite of what Sam said? He accused Mayli of stealing money from him, but on his own comments, he barely had any.

No one asked the question she posed. Rihanna was visibly angry – she didn't like to see her friend (who obviously didn't like to talk about his past relationship) interrogated like Silvestre had just before. Her questions were detailed, her journalist habits came out. Sam on the other side remained calm, but with an expression of worry and sadness on his face. He bit his lip, glancing at the screens rather than looking at her. He was nervous, she concluded.

Silvestre sighed. "If that is the case, talk to him."  
"You know how stubborn he is, mum!" Rihanna exclaimed. "Sam tried, and what we got was 'shut up, I don't wanna hear this'. I don't even think that Emmy would have a shot." She wouldn't.  
"I will not force Michael to throw anyone out of the Selection." Silvestre concluded. "You're free to talk to him – you're doing that otherwise – but I won't do anything biased."  
"Mum, she-"  
"Miss Lorde," Sam began speaking politely. "by all respect." Was he trembling? "I do not believe you have ever been in a relationship where you are led to believe that you love your significant other, and that they do not mean to be evil, but whenever it happens again, you find yourself shattered even more. I do care for Michael, genuinely. Otherwise, I would not tag along to clubbing nights every second night despite knowing that a drop of alcohol might reinforce my, now dry, alcohol addiction." Sam's voice was cold, void of any emotions, but he clutched his fist on the table's edge; he clearly cared. "I understand that your opinion of me is not high, and I absolutely accept that, but Michael's mental health is not perfect in the first place, and Mayli might push him further down the spiral. I will _not_ let this happen. I do not care if you want to help us, but it would be greatly appreciated, because he _is_ falling for her trap. If… You already have the mess around Emilia to deal with. What if this becomes public knowledge? That a person who has been abusive towards their boyfriend in the past is participating in the Selection?"  
"You could lose your job." Rihanna added, impressed by Sam's composure.  
"Are you threatening to leak this?"  
"No. Not at the moment." Sam paused. "But I do not, under any circumstances, could imagine _Charlotte_ to agree with this."

He was playing this card now, huh? He seriously cared, Silvestre thought. Otherwise, he wouldn't risk bringing up the late queen – especially not with Emilia's impending death.  
"… I can try to talk to him too, but if you two didn't have any success, that won't help."  
"What about digging dirt on her?" Rihanna suggested. "There have to be more people."  
"I'll ask Scarlet. She'll love to get that in exchange for some insider info." Silvestre sighed.

She didn't want to do this.

But Sam was right. Charlotte wouldn't have agreed to this.

* . * . *

Of course, Rihanna told the girls about their success in pulling Silvestre on board, but otherwise, the following days were a bore. Their lesson – media training seemed to be almost over – ended, when Silvestre (having waited at the door), approached them.

Africa noticed Rihanna's hopeful glance. All of the seven girls wanted to know more; the situation with Mayli hadn't changed at all. She hadn't even looked at them.  
"Rhosyn Reynolds?"  
"Yes?" Rho, as confused as everyone else, looked up from her medicine book (which she had taken out the moment class ended).  
"Would you mind to talk to me for a moment?"

Rhosyn didn't mind, and left with the organiser. Theories raging between 'Some family emergency', 'there's an actual emergency and they need Doctor Reynolds' and 'Rho is eliminated' where discussed between the remaining six, but Rhosyn soon returned to them, looking quite happy.  
"So? What happened?" Africa asked.  
"My mother is visiting Angeles, and Silvestre heard of that through my father, who is part of the team that cares for Emilia." Rhosyn began to explain. "They – my parents, brother and sister-in-law - are invited to the palace, as a thanks for the service they've done to Emilia."  
"That's sweet." Tilly smiled. "You'll see your family again!"  
"Didn't you say that they forced you into the Selection though?" Katherine wondered.  
"Yes, but I still love them, and I haven't seen mum in forever." Rhosyn smiled genuinely. Isadora puffed. "They'll have a formal dinner, too."  
"Uuh!" Rihanna clapped quickly, visibly happy. "We get to dress up!"  
Africa joined the cheering. "I already have ideas. Leave your outfits to me."  
"No, thanks." Isadora rolled her eyes.  
"Everyone but Isa, leave your outfits to me." Africa had learned her lesson by now – Isadora did her own thing. Fine – she had six girls to style; more than enough.

* . * . *

Alongside the Reynolds (Carianne (mother), Jason Senior (father), Jason Junior (brother) and Katerina (sister-in-law)), many other hospital staff members, and their families, were invited – instead of the room where the thirty-five girls usually ate (and often were joined by the King and the Crown Prince), they ate in a much larger banquet room.

The air was less 'official' than at the welcome banquet, but the hospital staff soon mixed with the Selected; apparently, they had bets placed on who'd win, and wanted to confirm their chances. Most girls mixed and chatted too, but for now, the seven friends kept to themselves.

Rhosyn was clearly looking for her family, and Kath tried to help her. Aside of Isadora, Africa hadn't been allowed to dress the medicine student either (much to both's dismay; Africa only got to do her hair and make-up, Rhosyn wasn't a fan of the dress). Rhosyn's mother had 'asked' her to wear the white lacing dress and the black high heels, she had given her. Rho wasn't over or underdressed, but the dress her mother had made her wear…

"Sorry for being late!" Rihanna was visibly out of breath. "I just had to finish something."  
"Somebody, Silvestre will make lateness a reason for elimination…" Africa remarked chuckling.  
"Yeees, but this is more fun." Rihanna answered, pulling her phone out. Whereever she had been storing that, Kath wondered. None of her dresses had pockets. "Look at this."

Her phone displayed the photo, Tate had taken of Rhosyn earlier – but edited. A second later, all girls were happily giggling – Rihanna (with surprising good accuracy and skill) had cropped Rhosyn out of the photo and pasted her into a decorated church. Alongside the cover of the book, Rhosyn was reading, and the caption "I pronounce you book and reader."

"I think that fits perfectly well." Rihanna laughed.  
Kath nodded. "Yeah, it does. Good work!"  
"Don't let my mum see that…" Rhosyn, trying to hold back her laughter said.  
"I was gonna post it online." Rihanna joked. "Or give it mum for the broadcast. I'm sure she can give it to the team and they'll fit it in somewhere."  
"Please don't!" Rhosyn, embarrassed, called out. "That's embarrassing!"

"Rhosyn! Dear!"  
All seven girls, curious, turned around to see who had been calling their friend. Katherine recognise a young woman in a bronze dress walking towards them – going by her age, probably Rho's mother. Carianne Reynolds, a cardiologist, was accompanied by her husband, Dr Jason Reynolds, who in return seemed to signalise something to his son and Rho's sister-in-law. All of the Reynolds seemed well dressed and friendly, Kath noted.  
"Mum! Dad!" Rho smiled brightly. No doubt, Kath though. She cared for her family a lot. After lots of hugging (with Rho noticeably ignoring her brother's wife) that was filmed by a camera nearby, Rhosyn began to introduce her friends.  
"These are my friends here; Katherine, Tatiana, Isadora, Africa, Othilia and Rihanna."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Carianne smiled. "I'm glad to see that you've made so many friends, dear."  
"Rho is a sweetheart." Katherine answered. "And she's really intelligent. It's awesome that she's studying medicine."  
Rho, next to her, blushed. "You're the one who already graduated, Kath."  
"Do accept the compliment, Rhosyn." Carianne reminded her. "It's nice."  
"Yes, but…" Rho was still blushing. The women laughed.  
"You need to tell me everything that has been going on. I was visiting Augusta – do you remember Miss Bracknell? - and everyone is absolutely fascinated by the Selection. It's such a sweet idea to revive this old tradition, isn't it? And it's so romantic."  
"Yes… Absolutely romantic." Rhosyn nodded awkwardly. None of the girls (except maybe Tilly, Kath thought, she seemed to have a bit of a crush on the prince) believed into the lie that Michael was actually looking for a wife.

Thinking of him, Kath looked around herself, scanning the room for said prince. It took her a moment to find him, but the blonde was standing nearby the musicians, talking to a few people – with Mayli by his side. Of course. This girl had somehow gotten all of his attention. Kath bit on her lip in frustration. She wasn't gonna give up that easily – she wasn't a loser.

"Well, my name is Doctor Carianne Reynolds." Carianne, with a smile (that made Isa puff; probably fake, Kath thought), said. "This is my dear husband, Dr Jason Reynolds – the older one – and our son, Doctor Jason Junior Reynolds." Jason politely nodded while his father remained stern. "And this is Katerina, my son's lovely wife."  
"It's nice to meet you." Katerina spoke. Isadora breathed in sharply, grasping her glass stronger. Kath glanced to her, worried, before realising what was going on. Isa came from an upper-class family too, but unlike Kath (who had, primarily, escaped through her studies), she had been pulled in all that socialite life. She probably knew Katerina. "Yelyzaveta, how nice to see you again." Katerina added – her smile was cold.  
"Yes, what a pleasure. Especially since you can pronounce my name, for once. Finally learned how to read?" Isadora hissed. Carianne rose an eyebrow, but she remained silent. Katerina's family was probably less influential when compared to the Bonovich's tech empire.  
"We should talk soon, shouldn't we? It's been such a while."  
"No, thanks, I'm fine." Isa waved it off. "I am sure you have many other friends to watch up with." The sarcasm was real.

Carianne and her husband stayed for a chat, but Jason and Katerina both excused themselves. Kath glanced to the restless Isadora. She didn't want to care – Isadora was exactly one of these snobs she had to deal with at school, and she wasn't interested in befriending with one – but she couldn't help but wonder whenever she was fine.

As the conversation went on, Katherine realised that Katerina too was a student from their school – but in the grade between Kath and the others; she had to repeat a year at some point, as Isadora coldly remarked. That was where her comment came from, Kath realised. Going by Rho's expression, that had to have happened _before_ everything else – the school probably wouldn't have let that happen otherwise.  
Carianne was quite interested in Katherine and Tilly's studies, and when Rho's parents left the girls, Isadora was gone.  
"She's probably just annoyed by all the upper-classness." Tilly remarked, knowing that Isadora wasn't a fan of it. Kath agreed. She'll be fine, she thought.

* . * . *

Isadora did walk off, and Tilly had been right – she had more than enough of the snob chat, and apparently (no one stopped her when she left the room), wasn't required to attend until the formal dinner. Fortunately.

The blonde wasn't sure where she was heading. Maybe to her room, maybe just outside. Whatever, Isa didn't care. Maybe she could just sneak off completely, and if someone asked later on, she didn't feel well? Unlikely – she had used that excuse to often by now.

Her mind elsewhere, Isa didn't notice that she was running into someone.  
"Hm? Don't stand in the way." She complained without looking. "People are walking."  
"I apologise, Miss." Isa briefly glanced to the man – Rho's brother, she believed to remember. "Say, would you mind showing me the way outside?"  
"Pretty sure you can find your own way." Isa, snippy, responded.  
"I can't." Jason chuckled embarrassed. "I've walked in a circle once already."  
"Congratulations."  
"And, it seems to me that you seem to be avoiding the event as well – so you'd have a good excuse?" He added hopeful.  
"…" Isadora blinked. Was it _that_ obvious?  
"And even if not, would you _please_?" He begged. "I… My mother expects me to socialise, but I'm not… Your average medicine graduate who spent years in books and not socialising."  
"… What." Isadora blinked. "Sorry, I don't know any medicine graduates."  
"It's… kind of a 'thing' to say that you don't have a social life when studying medicine, because you always-"  
"Yeah, nor do I." Isadora shrugged. "Last time I checked, I don't study medicine."  
"Yes, but…" Jason trailed of. Nervously, he ruffled through his hair, avoiding Isadora's cold glare (which, mainly, existed because she was confused of the sudden change to medicine). He glared around the hall, awkwardly dodging Isadora's focus. Fast forward what seemed like an hour of awkward silence. "So… Uh… Can you show me the way out?"

Isadora sighed. " _Yes_. If you leave me alone then…"  
"Thank you." Jason sighed. "Finally..."  
By the time Jason was starting to walk, Isadora was already on the other side of the corridor, waiting annoyed. "Come on." She called out.

For a doctor, Jason was stupid. Very Stupid. The garden was nothing but a walk around the corner away – he certainly should be able to make it that far without Isadora playing tour guide, but when they stepped out under the cloudy night sky, Jason thanked either way.  
"Would you do me another favour?"  
"No." Isadora turned around and started to walk off.  
"Wait!" Jason called out, sighing. "I just need to get a message to Rho without my parents hearing. They're super fuzzy about anything that doesn't go their way." He paused, Isa stopped. "My mum's a control freak."

Oh, she understood that. _How well_ she understood that. Yet, Isadora didn't turn around; she stood alone in the door frame, trying to decide between listening and walking off. Instinct and habit said 'Walk off!', curiosity wanted to stay.

"Please, just tell her that Gia is pregnant. She'll get it."

Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back. Isadora walked off without another word. She'd need to talk to Rhosyn. She wanted to get her satisfaction. Not that she cared, but if Jason needed a secret messenger for this, it better be good, she thought.

* . * . *

"So, tell me."

The dinner itself was over, but many people were still standing and talking – among them were the Reynolds. Rhosyn was sitting with her parents at their allocated place; her mother was nipping on a glass of champagne.

"How is the Selection going?"

She had made some really nice friends, had grown closer to a friend from university and finally done the Angeles sightseeing – thanks to Tilly – that she had been wanting to do for forever. She enjoyed the food but wished to be able to go to university, rather than just studying a whole year ahead. She was involved into a terrible cat fight that Mayli Yi had manipulated and knew that the whole Selection was a breach of human rights.

"Good." Rhosyn smiled.  
"Please, honey, tell me more." Dr Reynolds insisted. "How have things been going between you and Michael?"

Their 'date' (which she had played as a nice afternoon for the cameras) had been an excuse for him to visit Emilia, and he knew that her parents were basically threatening her career. She expected to be thrown out of the Selection after the first elimination – especially after the YouTube video – but had learned a few personal stories of the prince.

"He calls me Raisin."  
"Raisin?" Her mother repeated with a frown. She was trying to figure it out.  
"He's terrible with names, and 'Rhosyn' isn't your average name," Rhosyn began to explain. "so he started to call me Raisin."  
"That's sweet." Her father said. "He must have put thought into that."  
"I'm sure it just came from the similarities in the words, and everyone being a bit tipsy."  
"… Tipsy?"  
"We went clubbing together."  
"We?" Her mother inquired.  
"Uh… Isadora Bonovich, Africa Oaks, Rihanna Lorde, Othilia Joyce, Tatiana Loveren, Katherine Rhodes, Michael and Sam who I know from uni."  
"Beautiful." Carianne spoke, but it was clear that she didn't mean it. "What about the date?"  
"We went to a park." Rhosyn repeated. "Nothing special."  
"Something must have happened." Her father insisted. "Honey, this is the greatest chance of your life. Take it seriously!"

Rhosyn sighed - which just gained her another angry glare of her mother. She knew that her parents weren't like this usually. They pulled her along to the 'social season', but they coped if she stayed in the background. They _knew_ that Rhosyn wasn't that social. But this? "A chance in a lifetime." She had to take it seriously – but did her parents ever consider that she and Michael were polar opposites? Well, even if he could spend all the time with his pets, they still were far too different to be compactible…

"Hey Raisin. Hey Raisin's family." Rhosyn looked up from her internal monologue, to find the crown prince (for once not in casual clothes) standing next to her. Her mother curtsied, and immediately began chatting with the crown prince. Polite chatter, nothing interesting – just about the architecture of the room and how nice the food was. Rho turned her attention away and began looking for her brother.

"… I hope that Raisin is doing well. I mean, she looks… alive? She's terribly often behind books, but I'd probably not understand a single word from them."  
"Oh, my little girl is always studying, yes." Carianne chuckled. She was trying hard. Too hard, Rho thought.  
"Well, I want to be a doctor." Rhosyn answered with emphasis, hoping her mother would get the message.  
"You are from a family of doctors, right?"  
"Yes. We have been helping people for generations." Carianne smiled. "I, for example, am a cardiologist."  
"… And that tells me nothing." Michael commented after a dramatic break. "Yeah, I guess we all should be happy that I'll never do medicine."  
Rhosyn chuckled. "Yes, absolutely."  
"I once heard Sam talking about some psychology terms," Michael remembered. "And I genuinely thought he was speaking another language. Spanish or German, maybe. I don't know. I'm terrible with languages." Carianne laughed politely. "I sked Emmy to translate, but… yeah. She didn't study psychology either." He shrugged. "Rho and Sam are friends." He told Carianne. "Which, I guess, is cool."  
"Sam?" Carianne repeated, as if she had never heard the name.  
"Samuel Jones; my best friend. He's also studying at Angeles University, and Rho knows him."  
"Oh, what a fun coincidence."

Michael was good in overlooking Rho's mother's obvious lies. Genuinely Carianne Reynolds loved her work and helping people, but ever since her husband – who always had been interested in social climbing – had invited her to the 'social season', she had found her childhood dreams of ball gowns and cake – and made it her goal to climb too.

"If you tried, I could see you being a good vet though." Rhosyn remarked; her mother glared at her. Right. Michael was the Crown Prince. He wasn't going to work as a vet anytime soon. "You have passion for animals, and passion for something is the thing you need most to be good at something."  
Michael shook his head. "I don't think I could do what vets do. I couldn't put an animal to sleep – when Bacon, the dog I had before Rock, had to be put to sleep, I couldn't handle it either."  
"I'm sorry to hear that." Rhosyn nodded. Yeah. Michael probably really didn't have the nerves to do that. But he nonetheless would be a good helper, she believed.

"Well, it was nice to have met you, Dr Reynolds." Michael smiled at Carianne. "See you later, Raisin."  
Carianne politely said good bye too, and Michael disappeared – probably walking into the direction of his father.

A minute later, Rhosyn received a text message.

 **Michael Schreave:** Did that do the job? Did she stop annoying you?

Rhosyn smiled.

 **Rhosyn Reynolds:** Yes. Thank you.  
 **Michael Schreave:** No worries.

* . * . *

While the event was going, Silvestre kept away from the cameras. Not that she minded them – no – if that was the case, she was in the wrong profession. She was waiting for a good old friend who was invited too, thanks to her wife working at the hospital.

Silvestre Lorde and Scarlet Hunter had a long history, starting with working together as interns and a career in the Angeles Times (although both worked in different teams). Silvestre had ultimately gone to work for her best friend, Scarlet had stayed. Nonetheless, the red head was a little sister to Silvestre.

"It's been a while." Scarlet approached her from the side, wearing an elegant, dark blue evening gown.  
"Except that you recently talked to one of the girls, yes." Silvestre nodded.  
"I have something interesting, as you requested, but it's not what you were looking for." Scarlet responded, handing Silvestre an USB stick that promptly disappeared in Silvestre's own, grey dress.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Mayli Yi has connections. I don't know _what_ connections, but they are good."  
"From what I know, her parents aren't even fluent in English…?"  
"Some people say that her 'connections' are of adult matters." Scarlet answered. "I'll dig into it, but I haven't found anything yet. The people who knew her had good things to say. Too good things, in my opinion."  
"What do you mean?"  
"It's like there are two Maylis. One that is known in my circles, and one that can be traced back through school and jobs. One girl that lives in the business world and one that comes from a poorer family and has gone to a school with bad reputation, because of that lack of money."  
"We can trace back the bad family reputation, and that goes along with my story."  
"You haven't told me yet why you want dirt on her." Scarlet remarked, slightly annoyed. "Sure, the stuff you gave me will make money, but you never do _this_. You don't play dirty."  
"… I don't want to see this anytime soon in the news."  
"Well?"  
"Off the record, and only when the situation is resolved."  
"You have my word."  
"Your word means nothing."  
Scarlet pounded. "How long have we been friends?  
"Round about thirty years." Silvestre shrugged. "What do you have?"  
"Proof that Rhosyn Reynolds' sister-in-law is cheating on her affair."  
"… Cheating on an affair?"  
"She's got at least three confirmed ones – maybe more."  
"How is this of interest for me?" Silvestre asked. "I don't deal with socialite business."  
"Yes, yes, but look – if this comes out, Rhosyn will be in the spotlight too. Katerina isn't nobody. Not at all. Plus, I'm sure this will somehow prove useful." Scarlet paused. "Also, she seems to be leading a very rich life style for an unemployed woman whose parents want her to 'stand on her own'. Probably on her husband's money."  
"The only positive effect I could see is having Rhosyn's brother being placed in a victim spotlight, and Rhosyn getting part of that."  
"That'd solve the issue around the YouTube video?"  
"Do you have anything on that?"  
"No. Just a one-time account. Uploaded the video, never online again."  
" _Someone_ has to have found it first."  
"Reddit."  
"… Anything else would have been too easy." Silvestre nodded. "Thanks for the info, but it's nothing I'm looking for."  
Scarlet sighed annoyed and glared to her friend. "You don't see how vital this can be."  
"Not for my intentions, no."  
"If you'd tell me why…" Scarlet trailed off in a hopeful, encouraging voice.  
"I will, once I get the situation in order and _you give me the info I need_." Silvestre started out equally friendly and sweet, but turned cold midway through. Scarlet shivered.  
"Alrightie. Alrightie." Scarlet sighed. "Tell me if you want me to publish the dirt on Katerina."

Silvestre absentmindedly nodded. She'd probably tell Rhosyn and see what she'd think. She wouldn't leave any real information in the brunette's hands, but at least taking her opinion into consideration seemed adequate.

* . *. *

Rhosyn's decision to stay with her family for the night had been widely accepted, but Silvestre wanted to catch her before she left with them. Certainly, it wasn't the nicest thing to tell her before she'd spent time with her parents and brother, but Silvestre had other things to worry about.

"Rhosyn." She spoke, loud and firm, when she found the brunette talking to her friends.  
"Miss Lorde?" Rhosyn turned around, surprised. "What can I do for you?"  
"I'd like to talk to you alone for a moment." Silvestre explaining, giving Tatiana and Katherine the subtle hint that they weren't invited.  
"Uh, sure…?"

Her office – which was Silvestre's preferred place to talk – was too far away, but she didn't want to risk anyone hearing them. At least yet. Thankfully, one of the smaller rooms nearby was lockable – although she just closed the door.

"Did anything happen?" Rhosyn asked worried.  
"Yes and no." Silvestre answered vague. "Your brother's sister in law,"  
"Katerina?"  
"Yes." Silvestre nodded. "What do you know about her? Be honest."  
"Uh… She… has many friends?"  
"More than just 'friends'." Silvestre finished.  
"Yes…" Rhosyn, quietly, agreed, looking away. She had been told not to talk about this, Silvestre concluded.  
"A friend of mine, a journalist of a gossip magazine, has proof of multiple affairs of hers." Silvestre answered, pulling out the USB stick. Hopefully Scarlet didn't lie – but why would she? Silvestre had more influence than the red head had. She could blacklist her anytime. That thought wasn't too calming, but it helped.  
"Oh…" Rhosyn blinked. "Yeah, I know of them."  
"Scarlet seems keen on releasing them, but for the moment, I have my hand in it. She won't, unless I give her the OK." Silvestre explained, and paused, awaiting a reaction.  
Rhosyn clearly wasn't sure. She glanced towards Silvestre's expression – a trained poker face – and the black USB stick in her hand. What was she thinking? Was she considering it? Silvestre didn't know her relationship to Katerina, so who knew? Maybe she wanted the USB stick destroyed? No. That wouldn't help. Scarlet always had a copy.  
"I genuinely couldn't care less about this. Either way – it's nothing I'll need to deal with, unless you win." Silvestre answered. "I'll leave the decision to you."  
"I don't think I should be the one deciding." Rhosyn answered. "Jason knows too, but he doesn't want to do anything. I think it's my mum who wants to keep the influence, Katerina has, but…" She trailed off. "I shouldn't be saying this."  
Silvestre nodded. "Alright – it's up to you. Tell me if you change your mind; I'll tell Scarlet."

Poor girl, she thought. Almost like Charlotte.

* . *. *

 **Author's Note**

 **Help. I wanted this event to be fancy-dress, but also not too fancy dress, and feel like I completely failed. Welp. I can go all out next chapter, yay. This chapter was written on the day I came with the Halloween Ball, so guess how I solved my problem. _It's been a while, hasn't it?_**

 **Bonus points to the people who know what I was referencing. ^ _ ^**


	22. Little Do You Know

**22**

 **Little Do You Know**

To Isadora's dismay, she didn't have time to catch up with Rhosyn on the mysterious, pregnant Gia and complain about her brother's behaviour on the same evening, or the next morning. Yes, oversleeping and thus missing the group's shared breakfast (a tradition revived – now without Mayli) was one of the reasons, but still – she was curious.

Three people were haunting her mind, aside of the usual. The mysterious Gia, Jason Reynolds (the younger one) and Mayli Yi. Isadora was laying on her bed, waiting to be reminded of the lessons she had to attend. She wanted to avoid them – avoid them badly. She had gone through protocol, etiquette and what not as a young child ("A lady needs to know how to behave, Yelyzaveta." – Alexandria Bonovich); this was nothing but boring revision and torture to her.

She didn't want to see Mayli Yi. She didn't want to her hear name, but that was nearly impossible, following the rumours of her not only having two dates with the Crown Prince but three, while some girls were still waiting for their first one. Mayli Yi was many things.

Terrible.

A traitor.

Mean.

A nightmare.

Cruel.

A liar.

Painful.

She didn't want to deal with this again. The emptiness that had gone away after the cheerful and always happy Mayli had appeared in her life. She had smiled. She had laughed. She had felt happiness. Cared for. Loved.

She clenched her fist. A small part of her wanted revenge, but it was small. Barely non-existent. Nothing she'd need to bother with. Alcohol always prove capable of drowning these noises.

Too bad that Silvestre's team was clearly careful with avoiding any alcohol in the palace outside official events. Too bad that while Isadora was free to go to the clubs whenever she wanted, she couldn't spend her whole day there – her mother would probably block her credit card. Too bad that there were events she had to attend too.

Like yesterday's event, where she had run into Jason Reynolds. Just another person manipulating her. Just another person using her. He probably wasn't as awkward as he had pretended to be, Isadora concluded. He had just done that to get her help him to 'find the way' – something he probably didn't need either. Just so he could send a message to his sister – for whatever stupid reason.

"Rhosyn better explain this." Isadora told herself, and sat up. If she wasn't doing anything, she might as well figure out this.

Rhosyn's room wasn't too far away, and Isadora walked in without knocking. As she expected, Rhosyn was sitting on the sofa, reading. To some degree, Isa was surprised that she wasn't accompanied by one of the other girls, but right. Someone just quietly reading and writing notes probably wasn't the best company.

"Isa?" Rho looked up. "What can I do for you."  
"Gia is pregnant." Isadora announced dramatically and dropped on the opposite side of the sofa. "Now, who's Gia and why does your brother want you to know that via secret messengers?"  
Rhosyn did not answer immediately. Her eyes were big – she was surprised. "What? Really?"  
Isadora shrugged. "I dunno. Your brother told me to tell you. Who is Gia?"  
"My brother's girlfriend."  
"I thought they were married."  
"The other one."  
Isadora rose an eyebrow. "He's got two girls? Jerk."  
"No, no, no." Rhosyn quickly shook her head. "Ken – my other brother."  
"He's got two girls?"  
"No! Just Gia."  
"Where was he yesterday?"  
"He's… He was thrown out of the family."  
"Ouch." Isadora replied emotionless.  
"He didn't want to be a doctor but a musician, and because he followed that path, my parents cut any contact to him." That could have been her. Must be a sweet life, Isa thought. "Gia is his girlfriend – a primary school teacher – and Jason sometimes has contact to them. More than I do, because I don't have much time because of uni. Ken or Gia probably contacted him, and he wanted me to know."  
"Why not just tell you?"  
"Mum and dad don't want us to have contact to him. "A family disappointment.", they call him."  
"Hah." Isa puffed. "That's my job." She was the original family disappointment.

Rhosyn either overheard the comment, or she overplayed it. Maybe the news that she was (apparently?) becoming an aunt was taking her off, but that shouldn't bother Isadora. _Shouldn't._ Isadora glanced to Rhosyn who was glaring into the air.  
"Hey, Rho? You're there?" Isadora waved her hand in front of Rho's face.  
"Yes, of course." With good reflexes, Rho caught Isa's hand and pushed it away. "I just hope that they're fine. I haven't seen them in a while… Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Isa, I'm terrible in reading people and even I see that you aren't."

Alright, maybe she wasn't perfectly fine. Maybe she was doing terrible, but what difference did that make? Little to none. Not that Rho'd care – she obviously had her oh-so-great family to take care of, and Mayli obviously didn't care either.  
"Is Mayli still bothering you?"  
"No." Isadora shook her head with an emotionless voice. Mayli bothering her. No. Never. She hadn't even cared in the first place. Said brunette was nothing but just another snobby, happy child she didn't need to care about – just another problem in her life. Just another person who didn't care about her. Just another case of friendship she didn't deserve. Just another _thing_ she didn't deserve.

"Isa? Are you crying?"

What if? What if she was crying? Why would Rho bother with that? She didn't need to worry about that. She didn't need to bother with her – no one needed to. No one cared either way.

"Hey, can I do… anything?"

Rhosyn didn't even do a good job in pretending to care – she was just as empathetic as always. Just like her goddamn brother. What did he claim again? That he was 'a bit' awkward because of med school?

"Let me alone." Isadora hissed. "I get that you and your oh-so-great brother are better than me, but leave me alone."  
"What…?!" Rho stepped closer – Isa backed off. "What did Jason do?" She asked confused.  
"Your oh-so-great brother used and manipulated me." Isa hissed. "Just like everyone else." She whispered.  
"He did what?!" Rhosyn clearly couldn't believe that. "Why… why would he do that?"  
"To get that message to you, obviously."  
"I… But how would he manipulate you for that?"  
"Pretending to care? Pretending to be awkward, pretending to be grateful to get someone show him the way because he got "lost"…."  
"Lost? Uh… Isa, that sounds pretty much like Jason. When we moved, he got lost in our new house. He has a terrible sense of orientation, and I doubt that he wanted to 'use' or 'manipulate' you." She added. Isadora simply laughed in disbelief. "And Jason _is_ awkward. You should have seen him when our parents made him marry Katerina – he can barely look at her without blushing. He's me… just worse."  
"Sorry, but I don't believe that."  
Rhosyn sighed worried. "Hey, if you want, I can ask him to explain this to you and-"  
"I don't need excuses!"  
"It's not an excuse, you know." If Rho just analysed that she wasn't feeling well, why wasn't she picking up on her anger now? How stupid was she? Isadora balled her fist, annoyed that the brunette was pretending to care. Anger boiled up inside her.

Rhosyn sighed and sat down. "I am sure that he didn't mean it that way, Isa." She repeated. "And either way – I apologise on his behalf."

That was it.

That was enough. Isadora turned around and wordlessly left the room, slamming the door behind her. The woman left behind sighed and grabbed her phone to ask her brother about the situation, and why he didn't just text her.

* . * . *

When Michael had asked her out the day after the reception of the hospital staff, Africa had been somewhat surprised.

Sure, it was pretty much Michael's job to ask out the girls, but considering Africa's ambitions in the Selection, she hadn't ever considered that she had to actually date him. That part of the Selection had just slipped off her mind.

When Michael had admitted that he had run out of ideas and that they could either do something he had done with another girl (which Silvestre apparently didn't like) or do something that Africa would suggest and plan. Africa had gone for the latter – much to Silvestre's delight; her team liked the idea of a fresh date idea – something that a girl planned instead, and in the afternoon, Africa – with a smile on her face – was waiting for the Crown Prince.

Sure, she had to stay in the Selection, but she also wanted to enjoy her time rather than just play a role. Not that she minded acting – she loved it – but her current plans were different.

What she had decided to do was something that she loved to do, but wasn't sure whenever Michael would like it. It was a risk she was willing to take – Rihanna had implied that Greene wanted to keep her in for the 'celebrity' factor. Sure, there had been people questioning why Africa was wasting her time on such a show – the girls would never be A-listers – but Africa had waved it off with a blush; implying there to be more, but never saying anything that could get her into trouble.

"What are we doing today?" Michael had asked her.  
"Something I love to do." Africa teased.

The drive went silent – Michael grew more and more curious about what they were planning, but that was part of Africa's plan.  
"Do you mind if I take some videos on my own? Like a vlog."  
"You're doing vlogs?" Michael asked surprised.  
"No, not really, but it's nice practise." Africa answered. "I am considering starting a channel though; I just don't have any time."

With the crown prince's OK, she started the camera recording of the day and greeted the viewers of the video (with Michael soon joining her, claiming that he was being taken to the 'unknown' by Africa).

They arrived at the Angeles Acting College soon – it was in the central city and only twenty minutes away from the palace.  
"This is my old school." Africa answered when they left the car.  
"I thought you were home schooled…?"  
"Yeah, but this is where I studied acting." Africa answered. "And this is also where we'll spend the day."  
"Wait, at an acting school?" Michael asked confused. "How does that work as a date?"  
"It kind of does, and it kind of doesn't." Africa answered. "I decided to be creative." She grinned cheerfully. She was glad to be back; this place was home.

Without giving Michael any further info on what they were going to do, Africa entered the building – just to be greeted by a good, old friend. Africa hugged her old teacher gently and shared a brief conversation on how things had been going.

"This is Michael." Africa introduced the (confused) Crown Prince.  
"Uh… Hi. I still don't know what we're doing here though…?"  
"Easy." Africa, as energetic as Tilly, turned around. "We'll be in a workshop."  
"Workshop?" Michael repeated.  
"Yeah." Africa nodded, and leaned against the stairs in the entrance hall of the school.

It was an old building – probably hundred if not two hundred years old – and filled with many, many things that Africa loved. More than half of the school was dedicated to theatre – Africa had been taught the conversion to movie acting by her mother – and the school probably had a (miniature) version of at least half of the existing stage forms, and the beautiful proscenium arch stage that the school was known for. The ballet, Kath mentioned before was going to be performed here too.

"We'll be in one of the classrooms." Her old teacher explained – Africa had already warned her that she had decided not to give Michael too much information.

Her planned 'date' consisted of public relations work rather than anything romantic. If anyone asked, she felt like they first should be friends before dating, and to become friends, Michael had to know what kind of person Africa was. She was an artist – an actress. This was part of her. They were going to work with a drama class of kids in the age range fourteen to sixteen; one of the age groups in which Africa had many fans. She intended to build a connection between her fans and the crown prince, so that she'd be important to be kept in the Selection for longer. Plus, she actually _did_ want to be friends with him.

"And do what…?" Michael asked confused – he was just pulled along rather than given an explination. Yeah, okay, maybe this was a bit mean – but this was her own revenge for him falling for Mayli. She still couldn't believe why Mayli had done that…

" _You_ will be participating in the course." Africa began to explain. " _I_ will teach it."  
"I have pretty much as much an idea of theatre as I have of Raisin's medicine books, you know."  
Africa shrugged. "We'll do Victorian comedy of manners. That's pretty easy to catch up."  
"Victorian?" Michael repeated. "What's that? A name, isn't it?"

Alright. Maybe this was a bit more difficult than she expected, but Michael wasn't here to learns the theatre arts either way. With the hint that it was vaguely the 19th century, Africa opened the door to the classroom where the students to whom she once belonged too were waiting.

"Africa Oaks!" Someone called out the instant she opened the door, and Africa smiled positively.  
"Hello!" She waved to them and entered. "I'll be your teacher for day."  
"You were in "My Dog and How He Conquered the World"!" Another class member mentioned cheerfully. The movie really had been a hit, Africa thought.  
"And this is Crown Prince Michael – he'll join your class for today."

Cue reactions too; especially the girls (who evidently were following the Selection) swarmed the crown prince with attention immediately. The topic went to the Selection within seconds, but while Michael tried to even manage to listen to one question, Africa noticed something.

She had studied body language a lot. She needed to know it to be a good actress, and Michael's body language read fear. Why? He clearly was fine with crowds and people, going by the parties they had been at. She doubted that it was the fact that the kids were younger either, so it had to be the attention he got.

No. He was fine with attention, she thought. Although, attention in the form of party boys – going by the gossip magazines. Not attention in form of the crown prince.

"Alright, class, silence!" She called out with a firm, strong yet nice voice. Projecting the sound, she thought. It worked. "Please leave the poor Michael alone – he's already dealing with thirty-five girls and that must be a nightmare."  
"But what about the things that are on Reddit?" One of the girls asked. Michael turned white, and the girl who had just spoken smiled a bit. She believed to be true.  
"They're rumours." Africa stated with a calm smile; the same she used for the press. "Just as much true as the Earth being flat."  
"But-"  
"And that's pretty much it." Africa ended. "Now, who's in for an icebreaker game?"  
"Icebreaker?"

Africa nodded, and explained what these games meant. They just played them to relax and warm up before they'd start class. The group decided to go for fruit salat, and after the initial shock, Africa was happy to see that Michael seemed to be fine again. That comment had been stupid, but he should have expected it.

Class itself wasn't too different – as expected, Michael had no idea of the material, but seemed to be trying (although his guesses where quite 'creative'). Africa was happy to be back at working through material she had done before, and pleasantly noted that the kids (with an exception of a few of the previous girl's friend) warmed up with Michael who – while totally failing class – seemed to have fun. Plus, the filming camera team was content too.

In the evening, once class ended and the kids were gone, Michael seemed much more relaxed than he had been in the beginning. While briefly (growing stiffer again though…) talking to the camera team, Africa glanced onto texts with her mum.

 **Alina Oaks:** So you're worried that he might have issues with people?  
 **Africa Oaks:** Particularly the public (strangers?) and press, yeah.  
 **Alina Oaks:** Poor guy.  
 **Alina Oaks:** But do you think this'll make him throw you out?  
 **Africa Oaks:** Logically speaking, no, but idk about how he reacted emotionally.  
 **Alina Oaks:** I will see if there's anything I can do, honey. Do your best. 3  
 **Africa Oaks:** I will.

"Everything alright?" Africa looked up, just to find the crown prince curiously looking over her shoulder.  
"Yeah. My mum." Africa explained. "She's filming in Europe. She texts me in the most random times."  
Michael laughed. "Emmy used to do that when she travelled. She once called at three o'clock in the morning."  
"Did she wake you up?"  
"No. I was with Sam, but it was still weird."  
"Are you OK though? You didn't seem too well beforehand." Africa remarked. "Not a people person after all?"  
"Selective social, unless drunk." Michael admitted honestly. "I dunno. I've never been a person to hang out with many people at once. Sam, Rihanna and Emmy are my friends, and that's it."  
"What about school? Sam too?"  
"We didn't go to the same high school." Michael answered. "We met through parties nearby."  
"So he's grown up here?" Africa assumed.  
"Nah. Boarding school in Likely." Michael shrugged. "Not my taste, but who cares?"  
"I do." Africa smiled. "So, what do you think? Interested in theatre?"

Michael paused dramatically (too long to be used as technique though), before shaking his head slowly. "It sounds fun, and I like the games, but it's not my taste, no. It was a cool idea though – definitely more creative than what I'd have come up with."  
"I aim to please." Africa laughed brightly. "So, wanna go and get some food?"  
"I'm always in if food is involved."

* . * . *

 **Africa Oaks:** I doubt that I'm in any trouble. He got over it pretty soon.  
 **Africa Oaks:** and I now know a really good Italian restaurant in LA.  
 **Africa Oaks:** and that Michael can do monologues on animals. It was fun tho.  
 **Alina Oaks:** That's my girl. Good work! :)

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **Yay, I get to throw in my Drama knowledge! (A bit.)**

 **/randomly calls out Kay for reviews because her reactions are fun/**

 **Next Chapter: "All For One"**


	23. All For One

**23**

 **All For One**

Tatiana took her cup of coffee.

She was sitting in the garden with her friends, enjoying the early morning hours. Most of the girls were somewhat (or very) tired, but they all had come to enjoy these mornings. The girls had just finished their breakfast, and the broadcast from yesterday evening that the girls were watching on Kath's laptop just finished. Main features included the dates Michael had with a few girls and a brief report on engagements he had been busy with that stopped him from actually being around the girls at all. Africa and three other girls had gone on dates with him since the ball. Not much, Rihanna remarked. Going by her, Silvestre's team had a break – and they were happy.

"Yeah, and mum asked if we don't want to have a girls evening too, so I guess that nothing special will happen anytime soon." Rihanna added. "At least next week."  
"That's nice." Africa answered. "Hey, my old theatre form teacher asked if we all don't wanna come by. It's nice publicity, it's fun and it's not like we have much to do otherwise."  
"To your drama school?" Tilly asked, Africa nodded. "I would love to! That must be fun!"  
"I'm interested too." Tate added. "I left drama school, but why not?"  
"Same here." Kath added. "It sounds fun. Rho? Isa? Rihanna?"  
"I'm in!" Rihanna leaned back. "I mean, my best friend's comatose, my other friend is busy with shaking hands and the other one's working with my mum. I don't have much of a choice."  
"No, thanks." Of course, Isadora denied.  
"I'm sure it'll be fun." Tatiana remarked, hopeful that she'd be interested.  
"I'm sure too. Without me." She remained cold. Tate sighed.

"I… uh…" Rho leaned back and sighed.  
"Are you alright?" Tilly asked.  
"Uh… I…" Rho paused, her eyes looking for something. Most of the girls – with exception of Isadora – turned to her.  
"What happened?" Tilly asked worried.  
"I'm worried about my brother." Rhosyn admitted, clearly worried. She dodged everyone's eyes uncomfortably.  
"The one with the pregnant girlfriend?" Isadora asked while applying black nail polish thoughtless.  
"I thought they were married…?" Katherine asked confused.  
"Yes." Rhosyn nodded. "Well, no. No, they aren't."  
"What?" Africa asked confused.  
Rhosyn sighed. "Jason is married, yes, but Ken isn't."  
"Ken?" Tate repeated. Didn't Rho just have one brother? The one who visited the event, alongside Rhosyn's family, Jason, alongside his wife, Katerina, Tate believed to remember. Rhosyn nodded, and began to explain that she had two brothers, and that Ken had been 'thrown out' of the family for wanting to be a musician – something that all girls agreed was stupid.

"So, you are worried about his girlfriend being pregnant?" Tilly asked.  
"No. It's not Gia who I'm worried about." Rhosyn shook her head.

About who was she worried then? She said that she was worried about her brother, but why was she worried about Jason then? Tatiana looked between Rhosyn who was still uncomfortable and Isadora who lazily sat in her chair and nipped on her glass. She seemed to know more.

"Who then?" Tilly asked confused.  
"Jason." Rhosyn answered.  
"He seemed fine to me…?"  
"He isn't." Rhosyn shook her head. "He is married to Katerina, as you know, but the marriage was arranged by our parents. Katerina wanted an intelligent, hardworking husband, so she was fine with it, and Jason's far too socially awkward to oppose or anything. He just hoped for them to be friends, survive the situation and have a nice life. I guess that at some point he had a crush on her, but that's past now."  
"Arranged marriage is stupid." Rihanna remarked.  
"Yes, but it might would have worked out, if it wasn't for Katerina."  
"Arranged marriage with only one person…?" Africa asked.  
"I didn't mean that." Rhosyn answered. "Katerina has been cheating on Jason practically since before the wedding already. She even had an affair of a good friend from home, and when he learned of it, and asked her to stop, she promised to not do it again."  
"That sounds… well, the best thing she could have done – aside of not doing it at all…?" Katherine thought aloud. Isadora coughed; she choked on the water.  
"Are you okay? Isa?" Tilly leaned to her worried.  
"I'm fine, yeah." She waved it off, clearly distraught.  
"Are you sure…?" Tatiana asked in disbelief.  
"If I say I am fine, then I _am_ fine!" Isadora shot back angry.

"Alright…" Rhosyn took a deep breath. "Well, if you don't mind me going on…"  
"Sure, go ahead." Rihanna nudged her.  
"Well, Jason asked her to stop – he was willing to forgive her. She agreed, but two weeks later, he caught her with someone else." Rhosyn paused. "And yeah… It went on, ever since they married – until now."  
Isadora choked again. The blonde leaned forward coughing, putting aside the glass. She definitely didn't seem alright, Tate thought. Maybe she had had bad relationships in the past too, and talking about this just had surprised her? Or she just wasn't feeling well physically?  
"Do you want to go to your room Isa? Rest?" Tilly asked worried. "I can go with you."  
Isadora shook her head with an empty face. "I'm fine."  
"You seriously don't seem fine though." Tatiana pointed out.  
"Tate, shut it." Isa sighed. "Let Rho talk."  
Surprised, Rho took a moment to continue where she had broken off. "On the evening when my family came to visit, Silvestre told me that she has evidence on the affairs that she could release. I've been trying to talk Jason into a divorce forever – Katerina is just using him for money and all and bad for his health too, but he refuses to. I think he doesn't want to give mum and dad problems, but he should stop it. I think… I think that if these proofs were to be published, mum and dad would talk him into a divorce because they don't want to be associated with Katerina."  
"So… Why not release them?" Isa asked straightforwardly. "He'll be better, wouldn't he?"  
"I thought you didn't care for him?" Rho asked. "And that he ma-"  
"Never said that." Isadora decided. Going by Rho's expression, Tatiana decided that it was a lie.  
"Well… I genuinely don't want to cause Jason more worries." Rho explained. "And he's been against it the whole time too…"

Katherine leaned back. "I agree with your viewpoint. It's Jason's marriage, not yours. Maybe tell him of the proof and leave the decision up to him?"  
Tatiana nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Rho."  
"It is, really." Rho nodded grateful.  
"Just publish it." Isa shrugged. "That bitch deserves worse."  
"Not everyone deserves to burn in hell, Isa." Africa friendlily reminded.

Tatiana didn't understand Isa's whisper that followed. 

* . * . *

A few days later, Katherine was nervous.

Saying that she had never been nervous was a lie. Before exams and when the grades were about to be released, for example. That was nerve wrecking. This here was nerve wrecking too. The palace kitchens were _huge_ – at least when compared to the mansion in which she had grown up. Asking for this corner of it hadn't been a problem. The bets by the staff on whenever they'd burn down the kitchen had been a bit insult though.

Going by Tilly's count, she was among the last girls to be invited on a date by the crown prince, and considering the first impression Kath believed to have made, she could have expected this.

Why exactly the blonde was nervous was an unsolvable riddle though.

She had suggested baking to Michael who, going by Rihanna, hadn't ever done that. Emilia and Rihanna had, but Michael had never joined them. Rihanna had only mentioned the latter detail after she had suggested the idea, causing Kath to worry that she might bought up bad thoughts about Emilia (about whose status no one had an idea; Rihanna kept quiet).

"Good morning." The Crown Prince leaned against the door frame, surprising Kath.  
"Oh, hi." She blinked. "It's… three o'clock in the afternoon?"  
"My sleep circle is messed up." Michael admitted. "Worse than usual."  
"You've been away the last days, haven't you?"  
"In Waverly, Carolina and Hansport, yes."  
"What did you do?" Kath asked.

Michael gave a summary of his royal engagements. This was good, Katherine thought, although she still didn't understand why she was worried about doing something wrong. Maybe it was her pride? Probably. Katherine leaned against the fridge.

"And you?" Michael finished.  
"I spent time with my friends, mainly, been to the lessons and to Africa's acting school."  
"She pulled me there too." Michael remembered. He wasn't as cheerful as when they had gone out, Katherine realised. He really didn't like his duties or the public. This was awkward.

"So, have you ever baked?" Katherine asked curious.  
"Nope." Michael shook his head. "I'm gonna guess, you have?"  
"I picked it up after graduating." Katherine explained. "You don't have much time when finals are coming up."  
"University huh?"  
Katherine nodded. "The best and worst time of your life. I'm more inclined to saying I enjoyed it though."  
"I just know that assignments and finals are a nightmare, from Sam. _Do you like stress_?"  
"No." Katherine shook her head laughing. "I just didn't like high school."  
"High school is hell." Michael agreed. "So, what are we doing with… these… things." He pointed to the ingredients.

Katherine laughed and began explaining what they would do to make her favourite cupcakes. Their beginnings weren't that bad; Michael was less clumsy than Rihanna had predicted, but it took him a while to figure out the scale.

"What did you study again?" Michael asked once the mixer was silenced and Katherine began to fill the dough into the forms.  
"Engineering."  
"Sounds difficult."  
"Guess so." Katherine shrugged. "It's fun. I love it."  
"Engineering? Build stuff? What even is engineering?"  
"Maths, physics, rocket science." She replied casually.  
"Sounds…" Michael, visibly impressed, paused. "How do you volunteer to do maths? I hated it in high school…"  
"I'm good in it," Katherine began. "and I like to study so I can be better than the people who I hate." Clearly, she managed to do that – for the most of it.  
"Study to do that…?" Michael asked, unsure.  
"Most of the people I graduated with already earn more than most people in their high school class." Katherine remarked.  
"Oh." Michael questioned. "But, don't you wanna do stuff that's fun? Not for the money?"  
"Well," Katherine nervously pushed a strand of hair back into her loose bun. "I love studying. Learning things is fun. I enjoy what I studied too, and I'm proud of it."  
"But learning… there's more in life." Michael opposed. "I mean, isn't it stupid to spent life-"  
"It's fine to have other opinions," Katherine interrupted him politely, but cold. "It's fine to dislike other people's opinions too, but downgrading them isn't." She added firmly.

And the 'date' had started out so nice, she thought with a sigh, and promptly pushed the cupcakes into the oven. Annoyed, she leaned against it once it was beginning to bake. Different opinions were fine, but seriously? Michael was stupid himself.

"I love engineering, I love learning and I love maths. I love being intelligent." Katherine stated firmly and cold. "Why? I'm proud of it. Proud that I'm more than a beautiful little snobby girl who can apply make-up. I'm pretty and intelligent; that's something much, much better than knowing how to curtesy or so. Sorry, but people who think that 'Sit still, look pretty' is good are the ones who are stupid."

She didn't want to start a fight, but there was absolutely no problem with liking to learn and being smart! No need to give half-truths about her opinion here, she thought. She didn't like Michael thinking like that – he was stupid. Almost as Cecilia and her 'friends'. At least Kath had real friends.

The tension was almost touchable.

Michael's expression had changed from casual to colder, maybe even a bit sad. Kath wasn't too sure about it, but the moment she realised that, guilt filled her. The camera team had left – they had gotten enough footage when they had been preparing the food. She sighed and closed her eyes. This wasn't going well, and once again, she questioned her decision to stay.

Change the topic, she decided. Go away from anything like that.  
"So, what kind of movies do you like?" Katherine asked, trying to come up with something that wouldn't go back to _that_ topic.

* . * . *

Two weeks into October, the broadcast of the newest 'episode' of the Selection had just finished, including Kath's baking date which looking much better on screen that it felt in reality. Mostly, the seven friends had watched it alone in one of their rooms, or later on while spending the time with other things, but this time, all thirty-five girls had been directly requested to come to the Women's Room and join the screening.

Tilly and her friends were sitting in the back of the room, as they usually did. The brunette from Whites looked to Isadora worried; she had been avoiding Mayli completely. On the rare occasions where all thirty-five girls were together, Isadora kept away as much as possible.

Silvestre hadn't found anything either; the girls were stuck, and while Michael clearly didn't have the time to give Mayli more dates (fortunately, Tilly thought), he hadn't been with anyone else either. There were two girls left without a date – clearly nervous, even though even Silvestre had told the girls that there wouldn't be an elimination until Michael had met each girl one-on-one at least once – unless special circumstances arose, of course.

The credits started running, and the room broke into its usual, loud chattering.  
"What do you guys think of the episode?" Rihanna asked bored; she clearly didn't care about the answer.  
"They need more material." Tate answered.  
"I agree. It's a bit more balanced and less full now though." Africa answered. "The first weeks were full of content."  
"But it _is_ time for some form of event." Katherine noted nervous. "Rho's parents visiting was one, yes, but it only affected one of us. Something has to come."

Tilly looked to the other girls. "What do you think?"  
Rihanna smiled knowing. "Oh, I wouldn't know."  
"Of course you do!" Africa called out. "You're just teasing, aren't you?"

As answer, Rihanna pointed to the front of the room, where Silvestre was standing. She had been present the whole time, and despite initial attention didn't bother the girls that much. Most of them were simply chatting among their friends. Mayli and Cecilia were still hanging out together, Tilly noted worried. Silvestre wasn't alone though.

"Attention please." Silvestre spoke up and clapped to gain the girls' attention.  
Next to her stood Richard (probably a bit fatter than before—he probably wasn't doing that much since his wife passed away, she concluded), Michael and Sam – Sam holding her tablet and talking to his best friend. Once the two royals and the two staff members gained the girls' attention, most of them (and eventually all) rose to greet them politely. Yeah. That etiquette lesson, they had understood by now.

"Thank you all for attending on such a short notice." Richard spoke up.  
"I'm sure we all had different plans…" Michael remarked salty. Some girls laughed – including Isadora, Tilly and Rihanna who knew of the plans, clubbing – but Richard ignored his son. Was he used to this? Probably, but the interruption was somewhat cute, Tilly thought, and leaned on her knees.  
"The last two weeks might have seen a bit calm and quiet – which to some degree it the fault of ours – but our fantastic team," Silvestre smiled proudly. "has done lots of work in that time."  
"On October 31st, there will be a large event to which not only you, but also your families have been invited." Silvestre explained. "So to say, a Halloween ball, including costumes. Your lessons in the next two weeks will focus on that, including what is adequate to wear – I am sorry, but cosplaying Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter is sadly not an option." Katherine sighed. She probably likes Harry Potter, from what Tilly noticed. "All of your families will be invited to stay in Angeles for the first week of November as well." Silvestre added. "If there are any issues with accessing costumes, I am sure that will be solvable."

Silvestre proceeded to name further details, alongside Richard talking too, but Tilly blocked them out. Michael seemed to be doing the same thing – he starred into the air. He probably wasn't thinking of the same as she did though. Would her father be able to come, Tilly wondered? As one of the few doctors in her hometown, he surely was needed – could he take off the time?

"Your families have already been contacted, but asked to remain silent about this until the official announcement – which will be released tomorrow morning. The same goes for you too." Richard added, colder now. "Keeping this secret is essential, and makes Silvestre's work much, much easier. I am delighted to know that only one family had to deny the invitation though."

Only one family? Tilly played with the frill of her tulle skirt. Oh no. Please no, she thought. She really, really wanted to see her family again. Maybe they could bring Mr. Serious too? Michael had said that she'd be fine with bringing him.

"I am sure that Mayli's family will be able to visit at some point though." Silvestre added diplomatic.

Tilly looked up. Mayli's family? Did that mean that her father was coming? She smiled relieved; something that the camera probably would misinterpret, but the brunette didn't notice. She didn't see Mayli being comforted by a few other girls either, or her friends being annoyed by Mayli's victim play.  
"That's awesome." Tilly whispered.  
"Mayli's fam not coming?" Rihanna asked confused. "Better not say that in front of the cameras."  
"No, no, no!" Tilly shook her head. "Dad coming. I thought he wouldn't be able to come, but apparently, he has time."  
"Ah, cool." Rihanna smiled. "I was about to wonder why our resident sunshine was saying that."

"Do you think I can skip the ball?" Isadora asked, ignoring Rihanna and Tilly.  
"Maybe if you are sick…?" Tilly suggested. All of the girls knew by now too well that Isa didn't like her family. No need to question.  
"Period?" Tate suggested.  
"Mum won't buy that." Isa shook her head.  
"We can just keep around you." Kath suggested. "If your parents come, one of us could pretend to be a fan of your mother and distract them, so you can run."  
Isadora scrutinized Katherine. "Finally something good from you, huh?" Kath sighed. No help avail, she seemed to think.

"… Oh. Wait." Michael blinked, finally speaking up. "That's the fancy thing you wanted to announce?"  
"Yes, it is."  
"… Can't you guys tell me about that stuff? Not that I mind, but I've gotta come up with a good costume! In two weeks!"  
"Since when do you care about fashion?" Rihanna, next to Tilly, called out laughing.  
"If it's for Halloween, I do!"  
"Go for your costume when we were in our final year of primary!" Rihanna laughed.  
"What… NO!"

Isadora turned to Rihanna. "What was it?"  
"He dressed up as Snow White."  
Tilly chuckled. That sounded cute.

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **This chapter spans over the course of 2 weeks(ish), in case this didn't get through.**

 **Next chapter: "Break The Rules"**


	24. Break The Rules

**24**

 **Break the Rules**

This breakfast was, no doubt, unusual and awkward – especially after the last shared breakfast between the surviving Schreaves and the two Lorde girls. That was probably the only reason why Silvestre had anyhow approved of Sam attending too, but he turned out (much to her happiness) to have better table manners than Mike _and_ Rihanna. Combined.

"So, how did you come up with the Halloween ball idea?" Rihanna asked between two bites.  
"After the Reynolds' visit, I thought it would be nice – especially since, by the time of the ball, Michael will have met every of the young ladies once. You will meet the final two today, if I remember correctly." Richard explained. Michael nodded, visibly not enthusiastic to meet up with Cecilia and some other girl whose name he forgot.  
"I still haven't had my date, Mike." Rihanna jokely complained.  
"Count this as date." Michael shrugged laughing.  
"You two do need to arrange something." Silvestre remarked. "Preferably in a way that we can stage it to be prior the ball. Otherwise, people will question why you are the only girl without a date."  
"We'll handle it." Michael promised.  
"I will remind him." Rihanna added. "What's your costume? I found this awesome dress, and-"  
"In Emilia's closet?" Silvestre asked suspicious.  
"Yeah, of course." Rihanna nodded.  
"Have you ever considered buying your own clothes?" Sam asked – half-confused, half-serious.  
"Yeah, but ball dresses are expensive. I don't get allowance because "I am not in school and old enough to work"," Rihanna quoted salty. "and Emmy and I have the same size. She still has some of my clothes too, so why bother?"

The awkwardness on the two Schreaves was almost touchable. Sure, neither Richard or Michael had something against Rihanna taking Emilia's clothes – they had done that for longer than Michael remembered, but it was still weird that Rihanna refused to speak of Emilia in the past tense.  
"What do you intend to go as?" Sam asked, in order to avoid the awkwardness.  
"Little red riding hood." Rihanna answered. "Ball version. You?"  
"I am not invited; if even, it'll come because of work." Sam calmly answered, trying his best not to show emotions. He didn't mind dodging the ball – everything that kept him away from Mayli Yi and Cecilia Stark was good – but he didn't want Silvestre to misinterpret anything. She already didn't like him – no need to make it worse.  
"You have to come." Michael – of course he did – insisted.  
"He does have work." Silvestre remarked.  
"You're coming too!" Michael insisted.  
"As Selection coordinator."  
The King agreed – with his son, for once. "You should attend as a guest, Silvestre. You are Rihanna's only family, and practically a Schreave yourself." He insisted.  
"The ball is tomorrow. How do you intend me to get a costume until then?"  
"You can use my Halloween costume from last year." Rihanna suggested. "I'm sure it'll be fine with the size. You'll need other boots, but we can get them in town today."

Silvestre sighed. Unfortunately, Rihanna's suggestion was very well possible. The steam puck, crème-brown dress and hat the blonde had worn to the Halloween party of a mutual friend of the four friends would fit her, and Rihanna probably knew where to get adequate shoes from.  
"You should go for it." Richard insisted. "You are overworked already. Charlotte wouldn't approve."  
Damn men and bringing up Charlotte. Silvestre sighed and nodded, agreeing to try on the costume. She would still oversee the filming of the costume introductions nonetheless – she insisted.

"What are you going as, dad?" Michael asked.  
"The phantom of the opera." Richard answered. Not a surprise – the King enjoyed watching musicals just as much as he enjoyed sport.  
"You invited your friend too, didn't you?" Sam asked Silvestre. "You mentioned some friend, at least."  
"Yes, Scarlet Hunter."  
"Oh, it'll be delightful to see her again." Richard smiled. The four friends still believed that ever since Scarlet covered Charlotte's passing in a rare interview with the King, he certainly enjoyed her presence.  
"She mentioned dressing as a peacock. An old masquerade costume, I believe." Silvestre explained. "What about you, Michael? Have you spoken to any other girl?"  
"No." Michael rose. "If you excuse me, I will present you my costume. Sam? I need you. I've got one for you too."  
Sam sighed. "Still not invited."  
"I, Crown Prince Michael I-forgot-my-middle-names Schreave of Illéa, insist to invite you." Michael dramatically announced. Rihanna laughed amused, Silvestre sighed annoyed. Richard seemed more curious in the costume choice – he clearly enjoyed the event. "Now come, let's get the costumes."

The two friends (one of them enthusiastic, the other one questioning his choice of friends) returned ten minutes later – in a costume that caused Rihanna to fall from her chair because of her laugher.  
"What. In. The. World. Is. This." Silvestre hissed.

In the middle of the room, Michael proudly posed in what probably was a costume designed for a woman – a t-shirt with puffed sleeves and ribbons, a rainbow skirt, white tights, rainbow arm and leg warmers, pink sneakers and a unicorn hairband. "I am a rainbow unicorn." He declared.  
Silvestre rose. "No, you are not." She went for the unicorn hairband, but Michael dodged. In the door frame behind him stood Sam, in an equally stupid costume – dressed as rainbow Pegasus – and his hand in his face.  
"I agree." Sam sighed. "This is a bit very obvious, Mike."  
"Michael, I understand that you are not too found of the Selection, but isn't this a bit too much?" Richard wondered.  
"Actually," Michael rose his finger, proud on what he had come up with. "Listen to me. There's actually more thought behind this than just "I like unicorns and trolling.". Look at Sam and me. Will anyone dress up in anything that'll look like we spoke about it? _No._ If, they deserve it. This won't create any false rumours and predictions that Silvestre's team will need to bother with. It'll put down the standards that the girls are expected to match – some don't have money to buy a ball gown like Rihanna is wearing. And thirdly, you can sell it as "Sam and Michael are promoting LGBT rights." Because rainbows and I don't know." Michael shrugged. "Works out fine, in my opinion."  
"Michael-"  
"Let me go as unicorn, or I will tell Scarlet a funny story about Greene breaching the constitution on free right to marry who you want and so on."

Silvestre glared at Michael. Too bad that he was learning to play the game, and this time, won.

In the background, Rihanna was still laughing.

* . * . *

Tilly twirled around herself in the mirror of the large room.

The tulle skirt looked beautiful – especially when she turned quickly – and its light blue colour worked perfectly alongside the ice blue boa, pumps and her silver-blue makeup. She loved what Africa had done earlier with her nails – different ice blue hues and two of them with silver glitter, and the make-up, the actress had done for her. Katherine, Rhosyn and Isadora had decided to go to professionals, or their parents had, but Africa had volunteered to do Tilly's and Tate's alongside her own. The braid with the ice crystal decorations looked beautiful too.

"My little snow queen." Dr Sinclair Joyce affectively smiled. "You look beautiful."  
"You do." Linus, her older brother, agreed. "Why didn't you get a tiara though?"  
"A tiara is a sign of being married." Tilly explained, having learned this proudly in her lessons. "Princesses only wear them after they married – and people who aren't princesses can wear them too. It's just a sign of being taken."  
"That's interesting." Dr Amber Joyce, her mother, smiled gently. The scientist was wearing a long-sleeved, silver dress that she probably could have worn in Whites too – Tilly's dress was less warm and fury. Africa had done her make up (white and light blue, with glitter stones) too. The two Joyce men were wearing expensive looking, regal suits.  
"The Joyce family is all up to looking like the royal family of Whites." Linus laughed.

The ball wasn't going on – the camera teams were simply recording brief hellos by the families of the thirty-five girls. Even if there were five teams, it always took a while. Each of the families briefly said hello and spoke about their costumes. To Tilly's surprise, most families hadn't decided on one common theme – among her friends, this had been a pretty common occurrence. Tilly's father, Dr Sinclair Joyce, had already found a friend in fellow doctor and father of a selected, Dr Jason Reynolds, Rhosyn's father, which made Tilly happy. Their families – scientifically and medically inclined – got along well, but the brunette couldn't find neither Rhosyn nor her brother and his wife. Dr Carianne Reynolds and Dr Jason Reynolds, both wearing purple ball clothing but no costumes, rejoined Tilly's parents.

"Do you mind if I go and see my friends?" Tilly asked. She had spent the afternoon with her family, showing them around in Angeles and preparing for the ball, but now wanted to see her friends' dresses.

Africa and Alina Oaks stood outside in the hallway. They had gone for a common theme too – wooden elves, and Africa – aside of wearing a detailed dress that could have been out of a movie, maybe it was? – had styled her beautifully in the meantime.  
"I love your hair!" Tilly exclaimed.  
Africa had styled her naturally wavy hair to two braids – similar to what Tilly liked to wear – that ended in what looked like a rose.  
"How did you do that?" She asked amazed. "On yourself, too!"  
"With five tries." Alina warmly laughed. "It's nice to meet you. I am-"  
"Alina Oaks, I know. I loved your newest TV show; it's awesome." Tilly fangirled. "I need an auto—Oh. I will get an autograph later, okay?"  
Alina smiled warmly. "Of course, darling. What's your name?"  
"Tilly Joyce, from Whites."  
"Sweet." Tilly didn't see through Alina's warm smile, she didn't see how disinterested the actress mother was. "Africa, honey, have you seen the Bonovichs? Or Sarafina? I haven't seen Alexandria and Sarafina in ages, and you're friends with their daughters, aren't you?"  
"Tatiana and Isadora, yes." Africa nodded. "And no, I didn't."  
"Tate is currently being interviewed." Tilly remembered. "I can show you where they are."

Cheerfully, Tilly skipped ahead. Her tulle skirt followed her in waves; she still loved it. She had seen Tatiana and her family before, but they had been in the middle of their camera interview. Tilly's family had been among the first people to speak to the cameras, so they were free to do what they wanted.

"Tate!" Tilly waved towards the brunette in the green ball gown. Earlier on, Tatiana had explained them that Jennifer, her little sister (who herself was wearing a blue gown) had insisted on wearing 'matching' costumes, after Tate had remarked that Isadora's family insisted on the same. They had, after lots of fighting, gone for the theme 'elements' – Tatiana was earth, her sister water, her mother fire and her father air.  
"Tilly! Africa! Hello!" Tatiana sighed relieved. She never had been that happy about the ball, from what Tilly noted. It had been a good idea to come to them first, she concluded.

Tatiana joined Tilly and Africa, but Alina Oaks proceeded to greet Wallis and Sarafina, Tate's divorced parents, claiming to be glad to see them.  
"This is awkward." Africa stated while the three (Sarafina and Alina happily, Wallis politely) chatted.  
"Especially since mum and dad haven't seen each other in ages." Tate sighed. "Divorced parents. Yay."  
"You came here to avoid them, didn't you?" Africa remembered.  
"Yeah." Tatiana nodded. "So, have you seen the others?"  
"Kath is over there." Tatiana pointed towards their friend's family. "I briefly said hi, but then, we were pulled in front of the camera."  
"Katherine's sister-in-law is Aubrey Sangster, isn't she?" Africa remembered. "Mum will probably want to talk to her at some point. They worked together on their last TV show."  
Excited, Tilly grabbed her friends' hands. "Then we have to say hi first!"

Katherine was cheerfully talking to her family, but expected her friends to appear at some point. More than half of them didn't seem to mind to avoid their families on the ball, so Katherine had offered that they could join them.  
"You must be Katherine's friends." Lilian, Kath's mother, smiled gently. "It's nice to meet you all." Unlike Sarafina and Alina's smile, her's was genuine. Not that Tilly noticed a different – she was too happy about the whole ball ("It's like in a fairy tale!") to bother with such details. "I'm Lillian, Katherine's mother."  
Tilly and her friends briefly introduced themselves, alongside Kath's family – her father Edwin, her brother Henry and her sister-in-law Aubrey. Aubrey's husband, Katherine's other brother, couldn't attend because of his work, just like Everett, her third brother.  
"What's your costume?" Tilly asked confused. Sure, the Rhodes family looked nice, but she couldn't really see a theme in it. Maybe also elements? But no, the two men's suits were to black for that.  
"Hogwarts Houses." Aubrey, in green, laughed. "Kath suggested it, because she couldn't dress up as Luna Lovegood."  
Kath joined and laughed. "Yeah, I wanted to do something Harry Potter, and I pulled them in. I'm Ravenclaw, Henry is Hufflepuff, Aubrey is Slytherin and mum and dad are Gryffindor." She explained. "Have you seen the others?"  
"Rho's parents were talking to mine a while ago," Tilly remembered. "But I haven't seen Rho yet. Neither have I seen Isa or Rihanna."  
"Rihanna is probably with Miss Lorde." Lillian, Kath's mother suggested kindly. "I would like to talk to Isadora's family though."  
"You promised to leave work home." Lillian's husband nudged her.  
"The deal has been frozen for quite a while by now." Lillian reminded Edwin. "And I would like to continue the talks."  
"I thought Jack-" That was the oldest of the Rhodes siblings, Tilly remembered. "was in charge of Prescott Real Estate this weekend?" Henry remarked. "Meh. What are we doing here? Like, did you plan a sightseeing tour for us, Kath?"  
Katherine sighed. "No, I have been preoccupied."  
"With your boyfriend?" Henry teased. Tilly bit on her lip.  
"No, and no, Henry." She turned around to her friends, embarrassed. "Ignore my brother. He's older but has the mental age of a ten years old, sometimes."  
"I'd like to meet your boyfriend." Henry continued. "I'm sure we'd get along."  
Lillian sighed. "Yes, I am _sure_ you would."  
"Which is exactly why you will stay with us today." Edwin Rhodes added. "I hope you will not appear in the news for sleeping with one of the Selected."

Africa rose and eyebrow, and Kath shrugged. "Mum, dad, do you mind if we go and look for Rho, Isa and Rihanna?"  
"Absolutely not, honey." Lillian smiled. "Aubrey, maybe you could join them?"  
"I feel like there are a few co-workers who I should say hello to first." Aubrey smiled; her smile dropped seconds later though. "Say, Africa, Tatiana, how are your mothers?"  
"Perfect." Tatiana answered expressionless. "Absolutely happy that her oldest daughter is 'winning the crown prince's heart', I quote."  
Aubrey laughed. "Nice to know that we share our opinion on her. Sarafina is… difficult."  
"At best." Tatiana sighed. "She's the one at fault for destroying my family."  
"I heard about that." Aubrey nodded kindly. "I'm sorry."  
"It's not your fault."  
"That is true." Aubrey spoke delighted. "I hope we will have more time to talk later, but I think you really should look for your friends."  
"Yeah." Africa nodded. "If you're onto it, feel free to distract my mum."  
"I'll try my best."

The friends decided to head out of the hall in which the filming happened; Rho and Isa both were still nowhere to be found. Tilly was worried – partwise because of Henry's comments on Michael. If Henry and Michael became friends that be an advantage for Katherine? The brunette glanced to Katherine who was talking about Harry Potter with Tatiana.  
"What is your Hogwarts house?" She asked. "Mine's Ravenclaw, for sure."  
"Huh… Probably Gryffindor." Tatiana remarked. "Rho would be Ravenclaw for sure."  
"I think I'd probably be Slytherin." Africa laughed. "I am ambitious, you know."  
"Hufflepuff." Tilly answered with a smile that couldn't cover her worry. "What about Rihanna and Isadora?"  
"Rihanna's absolutely Gryffindor. She's that daring person who would absolutely end up in that house." Tatiana insisted. "Isadora, probably Slytherin?"  
"I wouldn't call her ambitious though." Katherine remarked. "Probably Hufflepuff, actually."  
"Hufflepuff?" Tilly repeated surprised. "Sure?"  
"I think she appreciates loyalty and kindness more than you think, yeah." Tatiana nodded. "She really liked having Mayli as a happy, bright friend, and so does she with you."  
"Mayli would be Slytherin though." Tatiana insisted.  
"Absolutely." The other girls agreed. "And Cecilia too." Kath added.  
"What about Sam and Michael?"  
"Both Gryffindor, probably. They're both daring." Africa thought aloud. "They'd probably be that kind to sneak out of the school."  
"Maybe," Tilly began to speak. "But I think Michael could also be Hufflepuff. The way he was when we visited the shelter, I feel like he would be."  
"And when he warmed up with the kids at my drama school, it was the same." Africa nodded. "Good point. Silvestre would absolutely be Ravenclaw, wouldn't she?"  
"Yes." Kath nodded. "But, I don't think that Isa and Rho are anywhere nearby. They should be in the room with the camera teams by now."  
"Both went to professional stylists," Africa remembered. "So maybe they are there?"  
"Let's head back." Tilly suggested. "Maybe we can find them once the ball officially begins? Rihanna and Silvestre will be there too."  
"The ball is meant to start anytime soon." Katherine remembered. "It's probably a better idea either way. If Rho's parents are with yours, Tilly, then she might be nearby and you missed her."  
"And our mums wanted to talk to Isa's mum, so we'll probably find them too." Africa remembered and referred to herself and Tate.  
"Then let's head back to our families." Tatiana agreed. "See you guys later.

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: "Stronger (What doesn't kill you)"**


	25. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

**25**

 **Stronger (What doesn't kill you)**

A few hours earlier, before the ball, Isadora wasn't between fifty-thousand dresses, make-up and hairdos. The car that had taken her to the airport wasn't of the royal family.

It was a car of the Bonovich family, and that alone was a reason to dislike it. Isa didn't even understand why her parents requested her presence when arriving in Angeles – it wouldn't make a bit of a difference whenever she was present or not, except that she could sleep for longer.

With the rest of the Bonovichs arriving, her life almost _already_ had fallen back into the 'wake up, wait to fall asleep' circle she was so well used to. When Silvestre and the King had told them about the ball, she had considered approaching Silvestre and asking for her family not to be invited, but from the sounds of it, they already had been.

The call she had gotten from her mother in the evening of the same day, confirmed it. She had called to coordinate their appearance. Of course, the Bonovich family had to appear united. Putting aside the fact that Isadora felt about as much connection to her parents as she had to a rock.

Although, rocks sometimes looked beautiful. And Michael's dog, Rock, was cute.

"I was thinking about Proserpina." Isadora had told her mother when she inquired about costume plans. Not for any particular reason – she had read about the Romanian goddess and thought her to be interesting.  
Of course, her mother hadn't been referring to her own plans (as if she was allowed to do that), but to what other people did. Isadora only knew that Rihanna was going to plunder Emilia's closet, as usual, and her mother, once again, was disappointed. She'd call back later and tell her about her decision in terms of the family's costumes.

Isadora had spent the evening at the Goldfinger, and it turned out to be the best decision ever. Vaguely, she remembered that Michael had been hanging out there too, and they – equally drunk – complained about things, but both confirmed on the next morning that neither remembered more than the first parts of their conversation (Michael's idea to go as unicorn; endorsed by the already tipsy Isadora).

"Greek Gods." Alexandria Bonovich had decided. "You can be the Greek version of Pro… whatever her name was."  
Greek. Of course, Greek. Because her mother probably didn't even know the great hatred, she felt for anything related to that country. It had been her fault, yes, but her mother could have used the little bit of brain she had and come to the conclusion that reminding her of Theodosius Katsaros, the ex-boyfriend that she absolutely hated. And loved.

Alexandria Bonovich was the first to leave the airport – as usually, accompanied by photographers. With a bright, well-faked smile, she headed towards Isadora and gently hugged her – to show what a 'loving mother' she was.  
"Play along." Alexandria whispered into her daughter's ear when she didn't respond.  
In the end, Isa played along. She hugged Anton, her perfect, awesome, handsome, creative, intelligent, super-human twin brother, and her father whose primary interest was his phone. Probably work.  
"… Where's Nazar?" The blonde whispered in Ukrainian.  
Isadora looked around herself, fearing that her brother – who currently worked in Italy – hadn't come. From what her mother had said, it sounded like he was going to – she had spoken about what _all_ of the Bonovichs would wear. Isa had expected him to be included – Nazar was her mother's favourite – but what if not? Then she'd suffer through yet another week of having the three Bonovichs around her.  
"Coming later; his flight will arrive at noon." Alexandria answered. "My hardworking darling fortunately has taken time off."  
Isadora genuinely smiled. "That's great!" She expressed happily. She did feel happy. Seeing Nazar again after his year of working in Italy was the best thing she could have hoped for.

The family – first of all – headed to Angeles Palace where they were briefly greeted by Silvestre. Alexandria showed clear dismay towards the coordinator, but from what Isadora noticed, Silvestre either didn't notice, didn't bother or couldn't figure out why.

Victor Bonovich, Isadora's father, had to make business phone calls, leaving Isadora alone with her mother and twin brother. Anton soon excused himself (on what seemed to be Alexandria's subtle signal), leaving Alexandria and Isadora alone in the garden of the palace which was, much to Isadora's surprise, almost empty.

"Alright." Alexandria sighed, still speaking in the family's native language. "Do explain this to me." She harshly said.  
Isa only sighed. Of course, this had to come. Her mother probably would have preferred to send Anton or Nazar to the Selection over her, but hey, this was the only possible way. "What?" She answered equally cold.  
"The headlines about your fight with Rhodes and co., the lack of any existence of a relationship between you and-"  
"Actually, that's wrong."  
"Going out partying and forgetting what happened does not count, Yelyzaveta." Alexandria sighed. "Over small hints that pop up on Twitter, stating that you've been seen with him, drunk in some random club," The Goldfinger wasn't just a 'random' club – it was good, but as if her mother cared. "but rather a news headline such as "The Crown Prince kissed her passionately in the night club." – if you _have_ to spend your life drunk.  
"…. Yeah, no thanks." Isa shook her head.  
"This is not the right answer, daughter!" Alexandria declared angrily. "I do not know why in the world you are wasting the life you've been given. There are incredibly many people who would die for a moment of what you could have, but no matter what, you throw it away. You could be studying, like your brother, and working – making a difference, like Nazar, but instead, you're wasting your life, our family's wealth and name with stupidity and nonsense! Do you have no feeling of shame?"

Alexandria's rant went on. Isa pretended to listen with nothing but boredom on her face. Maybe, she was listening, but she didn't take in the exact words, the older Bonovich woman spoke. The content was the same – how terrible she was for the family name, what a disappointment she was, that she should take an example from her brothers; Alexandria wished just as much as her twin that Isa was never born.

It didn't hurt her, Isa wanted to believe. It made no difference, she told herself. She didn't care. She never imagined somehow gaining success in what she dreamed to do, and putting her family into the shadows – absolutely never.

Or maybe sometimes. Rarely – not every single moment she had to think that she did not spend drunk and unusable. Not every single second she wasn't preoccupied with hating herself, her life, her family, this situation.

What made the difference? Feeling empty every moment was probably mercy. Feeling empty was probably what she was meant to feel like; empty without the love she yearned for but didn't deserve. What did Theo do right now? Give someone the love that made her shattered heart beat faster? The love she still yearned for – three years after she finally managed to break away?

"Yelyzaveta, you aren't even listening!" Alexandria called out – in Ukrainian, again.  
"Wh-what?" She was at the edge of tears.

There was no 'saviour' that would come and pull her out of this situation; she'd just end up breaking apart again. She'd just end up being shouted at by her angry mother, disappointed in her and grieving for the person she had never been before.

"Miss Bonovich?" Someone spoke, in English. "Yes, you must be Yelyzaveta's mother." Her first name was terribly mispronounced.  
Isadora turned around, wary of who had spoken up. Alexandria straightened her back, put on her perfect but faked smile, as you do, and turned to the young man who had appeared. "Yes, I am. But who are you?"  
"Dr Jason Reynolds, the younger one." Jason politely smiled and offered Alexandria a hand to shake She took it. "I can see where I- Yelyazaveta-" Still mispronounced. "has gotten her beauty from."  
"Oh, thank you. You're charming, Dr Reynolds." Alexandria chuckled.  
"I have only met your daughter once," Jason remarked. "but she is a remarkable young woman. I've had the pleasure to talk to His Highness briefly, and from what I've heard, he is quite charmed by her too."  
"Oh, really?" Alexandria turned to her daughter. " _She didn't tell_."  
"From what I have been told, she has made the best first impression as well." Jason added on. "Unique, strong and adequate for such a successful family."  
"O- Of course she would." Alexandria smiled proudly. "What else would my little sunshine do? She hasn't told me anything though… Very sad, very sad."  
"I believe that she is simply polite, a bit self-aware and modest, humble so to say." Jason answered in the charming voice that made her mother genuinely believe him. He was good, Isadora thought.  
"Exactly as we raised her. But you should speak a bit more about your success, honey." _Honey?_ She'd never talked to her like that. The blonde nearly broke into laugher.  
"Uh… I… I haven't found the time to truly speak to you in private." Isadora answered, trying to make up a fitting lie. "And… I didn't feel like this was an adequate topic… to… bring up in public… Yes." _Oh welp._ "Didn't you mention that you wanted to visit a friend in Los Angeles, mother? This morning, before you have the appointment with the stylist?"  
"I made you one too, dear. I'm sure he'll fit your taste." Alexandria explained. "But yes, yes. Thanks for reminding me. Go on like this." She started walking, pulling out her phone in the same moment.

That had worked. There was no friend, Alexandria wanted to visit, but Isa's mother often forgot to visit her so-called friends and all, she'd probably buy the reminder, and give Isadora time to escape this 'family situation'.  
"You're a good liar."  
"Practise." Jason huffed. "Katerina often needs excuses."  
"I heard about the affairs."  
"Can you call it affairs if I know of them from the beginning?" Jason asked. "Though, I must apologise. Rho told me that you felt mistreated, and I- uh… I shouldn't have done that." The awkwardness came back, and he looked aside nervously. "Yes, I did need someone to get the message to her, but I didn't mean to use you for that. You a nice company."  
"Hmhm." Isadora shrugged.  
"I… I apologise. I know how it feels like to be used by others – even if you won't believe me – and it is no good."  
"Do you?"  
"Katerina… I don't know if I ever love-loved her, but I hoped for a good, balanced friendship. Unfortunately, she never intended that, and while I hoped to bring good things to my family, she shattered these dreams. I asked her to stop, she agreed, and then started again."  
"I know the feeling." Isadora remarked emotionless. "My older brother used to be my source of comfort, until he went to a boarding school. It only got better when I met someone. The son of the Greek ambassador." She remembered. "We dated, but on my eighteenth birthday, I learned that he had been cheating on me with my best friend. Asked him to stop, he claimed he did. I found them in bed the week after."  
"That is terrible."  
"I gave him another chance." A single tear left her eye. "And another." Another tear. "I hoped that he'd just come back to me, love me the way my parents never did and…" Isa broke off sobbing.

Having lost the warm love of her father in her childhood, her loving older brother in times of early teenagerhood and her boyfriend when she just turned eighteen, she had come to the conclusion that she wasn't worthy of the love she desired so much anymore.

Exactly because of that, Jason's warm hug scared her.

Maybe it wasn't scaring her. Maybe surprise? Maybe the resentment of going back to feeling loved, afraid of dropping back into the coldness of having no feelings again? Probably, but weak as always, Isadora leaned her head against Jason and allowed herself to cry.

If feeling cared for was possible for one moment, then she'd take it. Screw what'd come afterwards.

"My family's basically just one big trigger." Isadora explained. "And Nazar… he won't arrive until in one or two hours…" She sobbed. "Money, wealth and success won't buy you happiness."  
"Would you be fine with me accompanying you until then?" Jason politely suggested.  
"Sure. Sure." The young doctor had been a jerk, and probably was, but at least he was good in sweet-talking her mother; an art that Isadora would probably never learn.

Jason suggested to move to her room. Alexandria would probably not return anytime soon, and Jason wanted to dodge his wife as well – both would profit of it. The two, with Isadora trying to save her make up (sans success), headed back to the main staircase that lead to the Selected's apartments.

In the hallway, the two people both wanted to see least, were casually talking. Katerina Crowe and Anton Bonovich.  
"You're so charming." Katerina giggled with a bright and beautiful smile.  
"Thank you very much." Anton smiled equally. They were flirting. "I must advise you to stay away from my sister thought."  
"Ah, y..y…Yal…"  
"Yelyzaveta, yes." Anton nodded. "She is… No one you'd like to be around. Usually, we prefer to ignore her – she causes only trouble – but right now, this is barely possible; unfortunately. I don't want her to hurt such a beautiful lady as you are, Miss Crowe."  
"Oh, please call me Katerina, darling." Katerina flirted. "Have you plans for the afternoon? Much preparations?"  
"Oh, not too much, no."  
"Would you like to come and eat with me then?" Katerina suggested. "I know the best restaurants, and the chef I am employing is still better."

"The ones you pay for?" Isadora turned to Jason and pushed him into another direction; a path that would allow them to avoid the two disliked relatives.  
"… Yes."  
"She's a jerk, absolutely." Isadora agreed.  
"Your brother doesn't sound too nice either."  
"Welcome to the club of terrible relatives."  
"My parents adore her."  
"Probably because she's the daughter of LA's mayor and a well-known socialite."  
"Probably, yes." Jason agreed.

* . * . *

Jason and Isadora were still sitting in her apartment's living room. Jason had noticed the flyer of the upcoming royal ballet. It turned out that he enjoyed watching the dancers just as much as Isadora did, and that both rarely found time to enjoy the shows. When the door knocked, they were in the middle of discussing a newer version of Swanlake.

"Come in." Isadora spoke.

The oldest of the three Bonovich children, Nazar, stepped inside; the moment Isadora recognised her brother, she jumped up and hug-tackled him through the doorframe. For anyone watching, this probably looked like a murder-assault. For the two siblings, it was the first reunions in a year.

Isadora proceeded to help her older brother up, both laughing freely. Behind her, Jason smiled. It was good to see that Isadora still laughed.  
"This is Jason; he's Rho's brother." Isadora introduced him. "Rho's one of my friends."  
"Nazar Bonovich – I'm Isadora's older brother."  
"It's nice to meet you." Another firm but friendlier handshake happened between Jason and a Bonovich.  
"Where is Rhosyn, if I may ask?" Nazar asked curious.  
"Being dragged along by our mother to a styling appointment, and to put on her clothes. Katerina's is in the afternoon, but mother wanted to spend some 'family time' with Rhosyn. I presume she'll be studying most of the time though." Jason summarised.  
Isa chuckled. "Probably."  
"I might not know why this is funny," Nazar remarked. "But good to know, huh? I'm glad to hear you've made friends."  
"We were kinda pushed together – especially with Mayli and all." Isadora trailed off, looking down again.  
"Mayli Yi seems to be a terrible person." Jason remarked.  
"Would you mind explaining?" Nazar looked to his sister.  
"It's fine…"  
Jason shook his head. "What she is done is not 'fine'." He proceeded to explain what Rhosyn apparently had told him.

"I don't feel like we have that much in common, except mutual dislike for Mayli." Isa added when Jason finished. "But, yeah, that's pretty much the whole story."  
"Do you?" Nazar asked. "From what I've heard, your new friends do seem to enjoy shopping and clubbing."  
"Yeah, they do."  
"And Jason here apparently is interested in ballet too." Nazar went on, pointing towards the flyer next to the younger man.  
"Yes, but…" Isa trailed off. "Okay, we might have some things in common."  
"See?" Nazar smiled. "I'm glad, you made friends, Isadora." He repeated. "But now, tell me, what's been happening between you and the prince?"  
"Weeelll…" Isadora laughed. "I'd love to tell you, but we both don't remember. Drunk."  
The two men joined her laugh. "Probably better than nothing." Jason remarked.  
"Michael's nice and so on, but the only connection we have is the mutual dislike for being in the Selection, and the like for parties."  
"Does he stay sober longer than you?"  
"Nope."  
"So no boyfriend material." Nazar summarised. He turned to Jason. "No one beats my sister in drunk games."  
"I wouldn't ever dare to try." Jason rose his hands, half-laughing, half slightly afraid of what Isadora was capable of. "I would probably be on the ground first."  
"Rho's probably still worse than you are." Isadora responded laughing. "I dare you to come with us."  
"With you? How? When?"  
"You live in Angeles." Isadora clarified. "I don't think I will get out of here until the eliminations happen, and even if, I have the feeling that mum will pressure someone into making me stay."  
"Probably." Nazar agreed with a sigh.  
"And we've got a week to cope with annoying parents, so I'm sure some of the girls will love to join."  
Jason nodded. "I probably won't drink anything, but sure. I'd love to join."  
"Nazar will come too, of course. Maybe we can even convince your sister to come." Isadora continued. "Oh, and I'll ask Tilly, Rihanna, Africa and Tate. They're fun to be around."  
"What about Katherine?"  
"Snobby rich kid and daddy's darling." Isadora shrugged. "No, thanks."  
"Then it'll be even funnier to see her drunk." Nazar nudged – not with the actual intention of getting said girl drunk, but rather because he believed that Kath and Isadora could be just as good friends as Isadora believed they could hate each other.

 **Author's Note**

 **This and other chapters include subtle usage / hints on background of characters that I will touch later on. I considered adding an explanation of what the hints mean / having them be less 'you need to know about the topic' like. Noting this, there IS something going on 'behind the scenes' that is happening in connection to Mike's relationships, but you won't learn yet because that would take away any tension. Now that I think about it, I feel bad about deciding to tackle TRH like this, but I wouldn't know how I could solve it without rewriting 25 chapters.**


	26. Beauty and a Beast

**26**

 **Beauty and a Beast**

The ball had been opened officially, and the large rooms were filled with chatting and laughing people. Music was playing, people danced, ate from the snacks served or simply enjoyed themselves.

"I think, it's a great idea."

With these words, Scarlet Hunter shattered all imaginations, Michael had about this evening. He had spent the afternoon worrying about whenever his 'joke' wasn't too bad, and – being the helpful friend he was – Sam had almost gotten him another costume together.

"Really?" Rihanna asked surprised. "Well, that's unexpected."  
"Well, he has put thought into it." Scarlet remarked. "What about you, Miss Lorde?"  
"Oh, I'm Little Red Riding Hood." Rihanna answered.

The blonde was wearing the long red dress she had intended to wear beforehand. Alongside Sam, Mike, her mother, Richard and the journalist, they were standing in a corner of the large ballroom of Angeles Palace, chatting.

"The dress looks familiar." Scarlet remarked.  
"It's Emmy's." Rihanna bluntly responded.  
"Wait, wait, wait." The shocked crown prince interrupted. "Are you seriously serious?" He asked Scarlet.  
"Yeah. I think it's a good idea. Some of the girls really looked nervous when introducing their costumes – I'm sure the laugh they had when you came in helped. I wasn't aware of you promoting LGBT rights, to be honest, but I think that's always a nice idea. Angelica would love it. I should have dragged her along." The redhead was referring to her wife, but none of the three friends understood that. "Good work in supporting your friend, Mr Jones." Scarlet added. "But now, I'm more curious about Miss Lorde here. Your hair too." Scarlet remarked. "It looks very much like Princess Emilia's hair."  
"Africa did it." Rihanna answered.  
"Africa Oaks?"  
"Yeah."  
"You are friends?" Scarlet asked.  
"I'd say so." Rihanna nodded. "I just asked her to do something with it, and that's what she did. She said that we looked quite similar, made me this hairdo as a joke, and because time was running out, we decided for this."

Rihanna's blonde hair was curly; besides a simple braid hidden under the red hood, one could only see the curls. It was no secret that Emilia loved to curl her hairs whenever visiting a high-profile event. Even if casually, her hair was often left open and almost untouched, people adored her curls. They connected them with Emmy – Rihanna, Sam and Michael, knowing the private version of the princess, didn't as much.

"It's not that much Emmy." Michael added. "I mean, sure, if she's dressing up, but casually? Nah."  
"You still look a lot like her. Is there a message you'd like to convey?" Scarlet asked.  
Rihanna sighed. Having dealt with journalists a lot in her life, she almost expected this question. "No. I just want to look nice, and I think that Emmy looks nice."  
"Are you implying that you have a crush on her?"  
"This is…" Rihanna paused. "You should write a book, Scarlet. But no, I'm not gay. Sorry to break it to you."  
Scarlet grinned. She had expected the answer, but nonetheless tried. "Well, well. If you don't mind, I'll take my leave and visit the other girls."  
"Have fun." Rihanna wished with a smile.

* . * . *

Cecilia Stark loved her 'costume'.

It had been fairly expensive as well, but the orphan had inherited more than enough money from her father to be able to afford it. In fact, she probably hadn't even looked at the price tag when she bought it, and Mayli did not like that.

Cecilia's long ballgown was beautiful, yes, and t glittered like the starry sky. She looked majestic n it, and her hair (alongside the necklace-y tiara thing) looked beautiful as well. The two had been to a professional stylist for this; Cecilia had insisted.

But Mayli still hated it – simply because the Stark daughter hadn't spent a second thought onto the incredible price. Yes, Mayli hadn't spent a cent on her outfit either, but she had still worked to have someone pay for this. A way of working she didn't like.

Mayli was wearing a long white gown with golden pattern and wings, alongside beautiful high heels, carefully made nails and a beautiful hairdo. Cecilia was the starry sky, Mayli was a swan princess. No doubt, she thought, she would be among the favourites in terms of costume. Hopefully Michael would think the same.

The brunette thought back to her spreadsheet with the money calculations – the money spent on this outfit would probably have matched three weeks of being in the Selection – while Cecilia carelessly chatted about past balls she had attended as the prime minister's daughter. Some other Selected were curiously listening, but Mayli only pretended. As always.

Cecilia Stark was dumb, to remain polite. A miracle that she even finished school (or her degree), Mayli understood why she participated in the Selection. She had no future as politician, but no idea what else to do. Alexander Stark's golden darling had no real-life experience; she always had been daddy's princess. Now, she wanted to be Michael's princess.

Hopefully, she wouldn't be. Michael didn't deserve such a stupid girl, and she wouldn't be that useful either – no matter how many people liked her simply for being Stark's daughter. Certainly, Mayli had dared to imagine to become his One, but ultimately, she knew better than to dream. The Selection was incredibly helpful in terms of paying her parents debt's, but there were so many problems and variables, including Sam and Rihanna's friends.

Sam was, no doubt, the greatest source of problems. By now, Mayli had made sure that Michael didn't believe what Sam said – it wasn't true either way – and emphasised that they just hadn't worked out. There had been too many misunderstandings, and so on. The crying about having to deal with past relationship PTSD was terrible, but gave her a reason to be comforted by him. He was terrible at that though – she had expected more from 'Samuel Jones' best friend.

Mayli wondered if Michael knew his actual identity, but unless she needed to, she wouldn't reveal it. It was too useful for blackmail to be just thrown into the world. Plus, it worked against Cecilia too.

Thinking of Michael, Mayli was somewhat disappointed. She had expected more of the 'fairy tale prince' that all the girls were aiming for than a unicorn costume, but his reasoning did make sense. Not that she agreed that much – it wasn't normal – but it would probably make him look good – especially in front of Scarlet Hunter, who was the main coverage of the Selection at the moment. Mayli rolled her eyes.  
"So he probably knows that part too…" She had whispered when Michael had explained the reasons behind the ridiculous costume.

Cecilia hadn't liked it – not at all. It had cost her all the self-control in the world to stop herself from angrily shouting at Michael to behave like the prince he was meant to be. Cecilia was still angry, but tried to distract herself from the costumes by talking to other girls.

The glares, she shot to the three friends – Sam, Michael and Rihanna – were too noticeable either way. Cecilia would be terrible at poker, Mayli decided. Both weren't a great fan of Rihanna's costume either, but the blonde _did_ look like Princess Emilia. Maybe she was jealous, Mayli thought – unsure whenever the 'she' was Rihanna or Mayli herself.

"Miss Yi, Miss Stark, you look beautiful." A redhead woman approached them, and soon introduced herself as a gossip journalist, Scarlet Hunter. As suspected. Mayli had heard from her – more than enough.  
"Miss Hunter, it's nice to meet you." Cecilia put on her brightest smile, while Mayli just shily smiled. Keep the character.  
"Miss Yi, I am amaed by your hairdo – it looks beautifully made. Where did you get it?"  
Mayli politely named the hair salon, the two had visited, alongside noting where she had her nails done, and who made her dress and shoes. Scarlet liked the two's dresses – that was certain. And that was also very, very good.

"Would you think you are best dressed?"  
"Yes, maybe." Cecilia immediately responded, as confident as always. "I have put lots of efforts into it, and I hope they will be rewarded.  
"Cute." Scarlet answered. Did Cecilia notice that Scarlet didn't mean it? She thanked nonetheless.  
"I… I believe that many people have great looks today." Mayli quietly answered. "Miss Rihanna Lorde, for example, has a remarkable look." Rihanna had been the only girl she had met yet whose look she actually had seen. Briefly, the brunette wondered what her friends – Tilly, Africa, Isadora, Tatiana, Rhosyn and Katherine – had chosen to wear. Probably more stylish clothes than the girls they had been standing with – they seemed to have a better taste.  
"Sweet." Scarlet smiled curiously. "Mayli, how would you think your relationships to the other girls are?"  
"No comment." Mayli answered immediately.  
"Someone listened well in the press training, huh?" Scarlet sighed. "But, honey, you're making a mistake. I can't publish an article about 'no comment'. I can publish an article about interesting things, and that'll help your popularity."  
"The Selection isn't based on popularity, Miss Hunter." Mayli reminded her. She wouldn't walk into a trap that easily. Scarlet clearly had insiders in the Selection – Tatiana – and Mayli knew better than to fall for the sweet question whose answer Scarlet could turned against her.  
"But it is something to be considered."  
"If Michael was interested in popularity, he wouldn't be dressed as unicorn." Cecilia remarked.  
"Are you implying that it's not good to promote LGBT rights?" Scarlet, feeling personally attacked, asked.  
"If you are referring to the question whenever same sex couple should be allowed to marry legally, then you know the opinion of my party. No." Cecilia, colder, responded.  
"The Selection isn't politics." Scarlet, coldly, remarked.  
"In the end, everything is politics."

Scarlet straightened her back. She didn't like the turn the conversation had taken at all. Mayli didn't bother that much – even if she intended to write something bad, she had contacts to stop her.  
"Miss Loveren, Miss Oaks, why don't you join us."

This time, Mayli straightened her back. The ball had begun not too long ago – with the King formally opening it – but she hadn't run into any of these seven girls yet (aside of seeing Rihanna in the distance). She generally had avoided them – they had done their job for her, and now, they were leverage.

Sure, Katherine, Rhosyn and Isadora were somewhat throwing themselves out, and Africa clearly wasn't interested in the Selection either – just the popularity – but they were still leverage.  
"Of course." Africa drily replied. The actress didn't even try to hide her dislike. This was going to be fun, Mayli thought.  
"Miss Loveren, what is your costume? We have a swan princess, the starry sky, and you are?"  
"The element of earth," Tatiana answered. "My family decided to match our outfits. My mother is fire, my sister is water and my father is air."  
"Interesting. Why earth?"  
"People tell me that I usually am down-to-earth, but can erupt like an earthquake." Tatiana chuckled.  
"Would you agree to that?" Scarlet asked the other three girls.  
"Maybe." Africa laughed. "But Tate's a sweetheart."  
"I haven't had the chance to get to know Miss Loveren closer." Cecilia admitted. Whenever she was interested in that, Mayli didn't know.  
"No comment." Mayli repeated calmly, gaining an annoyed glare of Scarlet.  
"And you, Africa?"  
"I'm a wood elf." Africa turned around herself. Unlike most girls, she hadn't chosen to wear a ball gown – she was wearing an actual costume, including long bow, knife, arrows and various other things.  
"Did you get your hair done professionally too?" Scarlet asked amazed after seeing the hair rose in the brunette's hair.  
"Oh, no, I made it myself." Africa waved it off. Mayli froze. This was going to be a problem.  
"Yourself?" Scarlet evidently didn't believe her.  
"Africa is really good in hair styling and make up." Tatiana explained. "She also made Rihanna's hair style, and mine and Tilly's."  
"I am… Wow." Scarlet repeated amazed. "What else?"  
"Tilly's make up, and the make up of her mother." Africa remarked.  
"… Then I definitely need to see that." Scarlet insisted. "It looks… I am amazed." The journalist had no words.

Mayli pushed a hair aside, trying to hide her annoyance. Of course, someone had to steal her show. Of course. Lucky her – just as always. Mayli glanced over the brunette's outfit. The only thing she had in hand was the fact that Africa's outfit wasn't very fit for a ball – it was too short to count for black tie or anything like that. That was the only thing she could use as criticism.

That round went to them, huh?

Mayli excused herself, intending to go and get something to eat. Cecilia followed her while Scarlet continued to fangirl Africa's hairdo. They'd probably go on and meet their parents, Mayli thought, briefly sighing. Of course, her own parents had remained at home. Too much work and so on, they couldn't afford to close the restaurant for a single day. Hopefully they'd make enough money today, she thought. Hopefully, nothing happened.

She'd need to sell the dress on eBay later on.

* . * .*

Neither Tatiana nor Africa immediately found their relatives.

In fact, even a while after they left Scarlet (absolutely amazed by Africa's skills), they hadn't found her yet – and by then, the event had fully started.

To be honest, Tatiana was looking for her father and not the two female relatives that were visiting, and Africa was looking for her mother whom both expected to be with Tate's mother. Neither the older Oaks or Sarafina Harolds were anywhere to be found – at least together.

"There's your mum." Africa remarked, and pointed towards Sarafina Harolds who was speaking to the mother of the Waverly girl.  
"Yeah, but not yours." Tatiana shrugged it off.  
"Don't you want to join her?"  
Tatiana looked to Africa meaningful. "No, thanks."  
"Manipulative, money-seeking actress mums for the win." Africa mumbled. "We should get Isa to join the club."  
"We absolutely should." Tatiana joked.

The two headed on – being stopped by strangers who apparently wanted to talk to them alongside relatives asking for autographs from Africa – before they finally found their other parents. Wallis Loveren and Alina Oaks were cheerfully sitting together, with a glass champagne in their hands, and chatting about… cruise trips?

"I… did not know that dad's interested in cruise trips." Tatiana admitted surprised.  
"Nor was I." Africa added. "Mum's genuinely enjoying it too, wow."  
"What do you mean?"  
"She's that kind of person to pretend to enjoy things, but actually not enjoying them. I haven't seen her like this since… Dad."

Briefly, Tatiana considered asking what the actress meant, but considering Africa's face expression, she decided that she'd be better up with not asking her. Africa seemed sad.  
"Well, that's good then?" Tatiana suggested, hoping to hit the right nerve. "I don't think we should interrupt them though."  
Africa nodded. "Yeah, they seem fine. We could look for Isa and Rho instead, or get food?"  
"Sounds awesome." Tate agreed.

Their conversation went from their families to food and from food to Africa's recent modelling work. Being a photographer that was often working for fashion shoots, Tatiana found it interesting to hear Africa's perspective of standing in front of the camera.

They had fun, until her mother called her. "Tatiana! Come here, dear. I need you to-"  
Tatiana had briefly stopped. She really didn't want to be presented as her mother's greatest pride right now – she had better things to do, such as eating.  
"Hey, Tate!" Unfortunately, Jennifer joined them. "Mum called you, and-"  
"Africa and I are already otherwise occupied."

Jennifer Loveren and Tatiana Loveren were very different people. Jennifer, a high school student, absolutely wanted to live in the spotlight – just like her mother loved it. She generally loved her mother – something that Tate couldn't understand. She was the reason for the family breaking apart – just because she had to sleep with that cursed co-actor when Tatiana was eighteen.

"Tatiana, please, remember your manners that your mother taught you." Sarafina joined the three girls. "You-"  
"The manners that include having an affair with another man?" Tate pressed, and looked away. "No, thanks." How could she even dare to just talk to her like this? She wasn't her mother anymore – she forfeited that right two years ago.  
"Tatiana!" Her mother called out, visibly embarrassed by Tate bringing up that topic in front of people she apparently liked.  
"No, I will not speak another word with you!" Tatiana, angry, called out. Rising her long gown's skirt, she rushed off.

Some people definitely noticed her. Tatiana didn't care. Neither for the call of her sister who would absolutely defend her mother. She rushed out of the ballroom, without an idea of where she'd go. She should have known it; her mother being anywhere was a disaster.

Before she knew, she found herself crying.  
Crying and heading for the outside; she dropped onto the bench in the garden. The make-up she had been wearing probably turned into watery shadows by now. She didn't particularly care. Tatiana didn't even understand with Sarafina had showed up in the first place; sure, she sometimes visited her mother, but overall? She didn't like to stay with her, and rarely even saw her. They weren't related – not in the way, Sarafina would insist they were. She had destroyed her family – the most important thing in Tate's life – and if she could change one thing in her life, it would be that goddamn affair. Sarafina hadn't even stayed with the co-actor.

"Tatiana?" A female voice asked.

Tate would have expected quite a few people. Her mother, her sister, her father, her friends, Silvestre, Scarlet, but not this woman: Alina Oaks. Alina sat down, in the wood elf costume she was wearing too, next to Tatiana and quietly took her hand.  
"It's fine to cry; your mum's a jerk." She answered with a smile.

Tatiana hadn't expected her to agree (going by what Africa had implied, Alina was that type of woman to just use people for her own success), and tell her that she shouldn't be that harsh on her mother, but she didn't. She absolutely agreed with her. Alina hugged Tatiana.

"It's fine to cry, honey." Alina assured her. "Your mum shouldn't have shown up in the first place; that was stupid from her. Your dad told me about your family situation."  
"Did… he?" Tatiana, still teary, asked.  
"Yes. I hope you don't mind." Alina added.  
"Nah, it's fine." Tate waved it off. She didn't want to bother with her family, but just thinking about it made her angry and sad at the same time.  
"He also told me about the… annoyances you sometimes have. Your disorder."  
"Annoyan… Oh." Tatiana nodded.  
"My late husband had that too." Alina smiled. "It can be difficult to deal with, I know that."  
"I'm sorry." Tatiana wished the tears of her cheeks.  
"It's nothing you should be sorry about." Alina insisted. "It isn't yours, and it wasn't his. You're good the way you are. An interesting and fun person."  
"Everyone says that." Tate waved it off.  
"Maybe everyone's right?" Alina remarked. "I recommend speaking to Silvestre Lorde though, and making sure that your mother won't appear here anytime soon again."  
Tatiana nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

 **Author's Note**

 **Cecilia and Mayli's opinions are not mine.**


	27. Gravity

**27  
Gravity**

While the younger participants of the ball were talking among themselves, Richard had long ago lost track of where his son and his two friends were. The monarch had been watching the people from the back, preferring to maintain a position in the background.

Richard Schreave was still not completely sure on what he was thinking about the Selection.

When Greene had first suggested the idea to him on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, he had denied it. He knew very well how much his son loved his freedom, but even if Greene wasn't a politician like Alexander Stark, he was good in convincing people in private conversations.

Did Michael really enjoy the freedom he had, or did he just feel like he had to be the playboy he was portrayed as?

The last time he really had a conversation with his son about anything deeper than the weather and their royal duties… He wasn't even sure when it was. After the opening of parliament? No, Richard had to admit that he had failed during that time. Barely having spoken a word to his son when Michael too had been grieving. Michael and his beloved wife, Charlotte, had always been closer.

Charlotte would know what his son felt right now.

Richard saw him in the distance, talking to Samuel and Rihanna. He still hadn't opened up to any of the girls, but of course, he reminded himself, this was just the first cut. Greene wanted the Selection to go on for a while, and Michael was just careful. At least, Richard wanted to believe that. The fact that he had made a deal with _Silvestre_ to keep that Samuel until something happened? Something in relation to the press, but the King hadn't bothered with them. If it kept Michael focused on the Selection…

In the end, he knew that the blonde prince hadn't found love. He could see it in his expression when people asked him about it. But what was there to do? He couldn't call this off anymore, unless he brought up a very good excuse. The possibility of them coming up with one was minimal.

"It's been a while, old friend." Edwin Rhodes approached the thoughtful monarch from the side.  
"Edwin Rhodes." Richard brightened up. "How long has it been?"  
"Years for sure."

Edwin Rhodes was a retired air force pilot, and had served alongside the current monarch. Richard himself had often urged his son to work in the Illéan military at some point, but never could convince him. He wasn't interested, but for his father, it had been – no doubt – a great time. Edwin had been one of his closest friends during his few years in service – Katherine's father hadn't been bound to his royal duties and served much longer.

"How is life going on for you?" Richard asked his old friend, knowing very well that he had retired after a dangerous plane crash.  
"It's been getting better. My second oldest son, Everett's in the military now too."  
"And Lillian? I haven't seen her yet either."  
"Intending to finish business with Bonovich." Edwin answered, gesturing into the vague direction of his wife.

Richard didn't know Lillian very well and hadn't ever met Edwin's children. Edwin hadn't met Michael before either; only Emilia as result of the princesses' work at an Air Force veteran charity ball.  
"I must admit, I am surprised to see that your girl has signed up for this." Richard remarked.

"I was too." Edwin chuckled, taking a glass of wine. "It seems to me that it was a 'in the moment' decision which she didn't want to take back. Pride, I guess, but as long as she's happy…" He paused. "What is your opinion on the girls?"  
"I must admit that I have not spoken to any of them directly." Richard answered. "Intended though."  
"Understandable. I couldn't remember thirty-five names."  
Richard laughed. "No one can. We should have gone for name tags."  
"But you must have some form of opinion."  
"You know my opinions on immigration." Richard's face turned dark, but remained loose. The alcohol? "I do not want to see the Chinese girl in my family. China has done enough bad to our country; no need to make one of them queen." Edwin – probably not agreeing – remained quiet. "Then there's Rihanna who I know. She's nice and all, but more like a nice to me." The King paused and chuckled. "Well, I guess I can trust you with the fact that she is only in the Selection for fun."

"Rihanna is Silvestre's daughter." Edwin remembered. "What about her friends?"  
"Bonovich and Michael seem to be very alike." Richard thought aloud. "But again – immigrants. The Bonovichs took money and opportunities that Illéans could have used." He shook his head.  
Edwin tried to hide his disagreement. "What about Rhosyn Reynolds?"  
"I haven't heard much of her," Richard answered. "But her family seems decent. Charlotte knew the Crowes, and their son's married to a Crowe. Don't ask me what Charlotte thought about them – she wasn't that talkative about social gatherings." He paused. "There's the actress girl. What's her name again?"  
"Africa Oaks." Edwin remembered. He clearly had a better memory on names than the monarch.  
"Oh, right. Looks good." Richard laughed. The alcohol, Edwin decided. It had to be the alcohol. "She seems friends with that other girl… What's her name again… A Disney princess, I believe."  
"Tatiana Loveren?" Edwin suggested. Not that he knew Disney princesses that well, but Tatiana and Africa seemed to be good friends, from what Katherine had told her father.  
"Right, her." Richard nodded. "The girl gave Silvestre a hard time with Hunter, but otherwise? She dealt well with the press and public. Both of them could help Michael with that."  
"Katherine remarked… that he doesn't seem comfortable with them?"

Richard shook his head. "No, no. That's just childish rebellions." Little did he know… "There's also the girl whose family brought her dog. O… Don't try me to pronounce that name. It sounds like Shakespeare."  
"Tilly Joyce?" Edwin guessed. She was, from what he remembered, the only girl of Katherine's friends that the King hadn't mentioned yet.  
"Might be – I don't know." He shrugged. "Seems to like animals." He paused. This time, his face really turned dark. "I could see Michael liking her." He admitted – much less happy and joyful than before. "She's like Charlotte was. Happy, free-spirited. Maybe even more. Definitely more… She never got over the sudden attention that well."

Richard was remarking about something that only a few people knew about the late queen – Charlotte had never been a great fan of the public. For the cameras and people, she smiled and talked sweetly, but her heart was with her family and small circle of close friends on their country residences. Probably that was why she had Silvestre work as their press secretary. They had always been close – or so it seemed – and Silvestre protected the then-crown princess from too much influence. Charlotte belonged with her animals, Richard always knew, and he loved to see with them. She did come from a well-off family, but she always preferred the country side over the red carpet.

Maybe Michael was just with her. Maybe that was why he had gotten worse after her death. Maybe she had been his gravity, and now he needed someone new. Maybe the Selection was the right idea after all.

"Then there's the Stark girl." Richard paused. "She's a Stark. That means something." Saddened by the thought of his late wife, he lost interest in the topic. "But, do tell me, what have you been up to?"

* . * .*

While the King and her father were talking, Katherine was sitting down and watching the people. Taking a short break – she just had been with her mother and Henry – she intended to look for her friends, but before she'd do so, she saw Aubrey heading towards her.

"Where are your friends?" The actress asked curious and sat down next to the blonde.  
"I lost track of them, I admit that." Kath answered. "I still haven't seen Rho or Isa at all. Tate and Africa seem to have disappeared, but I think Tilly wanted to look for Michael."  
"She likes him." Her sister-in-law remarked.  
"Tilly likes Michael?" Katherine asked, before considering the idea herself. Probably, considering the way the brunette talked of him. "I don't know for sure." She answered Aubrey.  
"What do you think of Africa?"  
"She is very talented with fashion." Katherine initially responded. "She seems to be… more of a party girl, but I suppose, everyone needs a bit freedom."  
"Africa was heavily shaped by her mother. She never attended school – always privately tutored. She's been an actress for longer than so many people in the industry."

Reminded of her own time at school, Katherine grimaced. She probably wouldn't have minded private tutoring at all, now that she thought of it. It would have spared her lots of snobs to deal with too.

"You should try to warm up to them a bit more, Kath." Aubrey believed.  
"Them?" Katherine rose an eyebrow.  
"Not only Africa but also Isadora." The snob again. Kath sighed. "It's great that you get along with Tate, Rho, Africa, Tilly and Rihanna, but these two have their own strengths."  
"Such as being a jerk?" Kath questioned sarcastic. "I doubt Isadora has any strengths but getting drunk."  
Aubrey sighed. "I… I don't know exact things, but…" She paused to think. "Alexandria never mentions her. Like – never. Isadora's whole existence wasn't well known until the Selection. I think that's weird, and there's gotta be something behind it."

But what? The question Aubrey posed quietly was a strange one. "She doesn't seem to like her family a lot, and I think she was pushed into the Selection against her will – like Rho."  
"So do I." Aubrey nodded. "I also know that she should have been in your year group at school."  
Kath rose an eyebrow. "Was she?" She didn't know too many people in her year – most of them sided with their always-beloved self-centred snobby leader – but Isadora? "I thought she was in Rho and Tate's grade?"  
"She was." Aubrey nodded. "She had to repeat a grade because of her grades, and she missed lots of school later on, leading to her repeating another one – because she never actually did it. You skipped two, she repeated two. You missed each other."  
"What are you telling me?"  
"Your school was always very status and academically focused." Aubrey explained. "Isadora probably wasn't exactly everyone's favourite either. The fact that Tatiana didn't even know her should explain that. She probably was just as much an outsider as you were."  
"…" Katherine processed the information. "Oh."  
"And I think, that you shouldn't judge her based on her coldness. It's not being snobby, it's a coping mechanism. If you don't care, you can't be hurt, you know?"

"I… I know." Kath nodded. "But what do you want me to do?"  
"Stop talking behind her back about her, give her a chance – but don't push, for god's sake. I heard she likes ballet a lot. Maybe you could bound over that?" Aubrey recommended. "Until you know what you want in the Selection, these two – both of them, Africa and Isadora – will be nice to hang around. I'm fairly sure that the organisation will want to keep them almost as much as Cecilia."  
"You're implying that Cecilia is staying for a while?"  
"Don't let her get you." Aubrey winked.

* . * . *

Tilly had to admit that after she returned to her family, she had no idea where her friends went either.

The ball was large. Full of people – not only the Selected and their (sometimes very large) families, but also friends of the royal family, people with name and even more people. It took Tilly enough time to find her family – who confirmed that they hadn't seen Rhosyn or Isadora either.

The brunette, in her ice queen dress (she had been asked to sing Let it Go once for the camera, and going by her brother (not a reliable source) she had been good), she sat with her parents. They were speaking to some people whose names she had already forgotten, but talking to them was fun, so why not?

"Tilly, where are your friends again?" Her father asked with slight worry in his voice. "Did something happen when you left?"  
"Oh, no, we were just looking for some people, but we couldn't find them."  
"Don't you want to look for them?" Her mother asked. "We'll be here all week."  
"But dad isn't…" Tilly answered sad. Her father was needed at home; he'd fly back overnight.  
"There's always Skype, honey." Her father remarked her with a smile. "And I don't want to see you sitting around here the whole time. Don't you want to dance?"  
Tilly giggled. "I can't dance, dad." They hadn't been taught that yet. That, and Rihanna had slipped that Michael was a terrible dancer as well. Times changed, apparently. Princes didn't dance the whole night anymore – sadly. Maybe they just spent time with the cute dogs. Richard had been right, the Joyce's had brought Mr Serious with him, and right now, her beloved husky was sleeping in her room. He was exhausted and needed rest.  
"Go and get your friends." Her mother encouraged her too, and convinced her.

And this time, Tilly was lucky.

Rhosyn, Isadora and two men – their siblings, going by the resemblances – were standing not too far from where she had been sitting. Her doctor friend was wearing a dress with a beautiful white to dark blue gradient, and the man that looked similar – Jason, of course, her brother – was wearing a beach-coloured suit. She knew these colours well – Tilly had spent every second she could amazed by the beautiful beaches of Angeles.

Isadora was wearing a much darker dress – Tilly wasn't even sure what was part of the dress and what was just an optical illusion – with what seemed to be flowers on it. The man next to them who looked similar to her was wearing a strange-looking grey outfit. The style was definitely fitting Isadora.

"Isa, Rho! Hello!" She joined them within a heartbeat of seeing them. "What is your costume? She immediately asked.  
"I am the ocean, and Jason here's the beach." Rhosyn explained.  
"Persephone." Isadora answered afterwards. "This is my brother, Nazar, and he is Hermis. Greek gods." She added drily.  
"It's nice to meet you." Nazar smiled politely.  
"I'm Tilly Joyce, from Whites." The brunette smiled. "Nice to meet you too. What are you doing?"  
Awkwardly, the four looked to each other. So… They weren't doing anything good, and didn't want to tell, Tilly concluded. "… Chitchatting about my wife and Isa's twin." Jason admitted.  
"Huh…?"  
"It seems like they've had a very… nice afternoon." Isadora grimaced. "I didn't even know that Anton falls that easily for women."  
"Anton?"  
"My twin brother." Isadora rolled her eyes and summarised what had happened.

"Oh…" Tilly was confused. "But if Katerina is married to you, why would she do that?"  
"Because she's a jerk." Rhosyn answered. "Do you remember what I told you all about her?"  
"… Oh. Right…" Tilly did.

Tilly was about to say something fun to lighten the mood when a red head – Katerina – and blonde boy – Anton – arrived with them, clearly happily chatting. Briefly, Tilly thought what their afternoon could have been like, but she quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of the idea.  
"Anton, this is Jason, and his sister, Rhosyn." Katerina briefly pointed to the two and Anton nodded.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Anton smiled charming. "My name is Anton Bonovich."  
"Really? What interesting news." Isadora rolled her eyes sarcastic.  
"Katerina, dear, this is my older brother, Nazar Bonovich." Anton introduced his brother, clearly trying to keep away a grimace. "And my sister, Yelyzaveta." Anton waved her off. "Who might you be?" He smiled at Tilly.

Isadora's twin brother had charm, yes, but Tilly couldn't help but wonder why Isadora seemed to dislike him that much. She knew of the whole dislike towards her family, and presumed that that had to be the reason why she seemed to be so cold. There was probably some bad blood between the twins.

"It's nice to meet you too." Tilly smiled nonetheless. "I'm Tilly Joyce, from White." She hummed. "Are you two a couple?"

The question had been, well, nothing she thought about. The way Anton looked at the confident Katerina was obvious: he liked her a lot. However, Tilly quickly remembered that Katerina was _married_ to Jason.

"I am married." Katerina's smile didn't alter a bit.  
Anton's reaction spoke miles though – he froze with an expression of surprise.

Isadora couldn't help to laugh with a bitter and cold undertone though. "Ouch. What if dear mother hears of that?" She asked Anton daring.  
"Of… Of what?" Anton tilted up – he was tense. "There is nothing to hear of, Yelyzaveta." He answered with a stern, serious voice. Probably to frighten Isa, but she just continued to play around with her wine glass.  
"How cute. My dear brother is in love?" Isadora teased. There was nothing behind the tease though, Tilly realised. A pretended enjoyment – nothing real. So, she didn't really do it for the fun, but for what? Because it just was expected from her by now?  
"Yelyzaveta!"  
"I must admit, your sister's friends are… questionable." Katerina, keeping her façade, remarked.  
"Your friend here's questionable." Isadora shrugged.  
"I-" Katerina took a deep breath, before forcing herself to breath out. "I will not comment on that, Bonovich." She hissed.  
"This is so sad Alexa play Despacito."

What Tilly didn't know was that Isadora was genuinely caught between not caring and just blanking her brother out – possibly just leaving – and the pure dislike she felt for the two. She _knew_ how it felt to be used, and she also believed that Jason really was just too soft-hearted to do anything. Just like she had been back then. A part in her wanted to push both of them to the ground, but that part was – as always – weak. Not because she didn't want to, but simply because she lacked the motivation. Good old depression, huh.

"This is enough." Katerina called out – loud enough for Rhosyn's parents to hear.

And they were angry.

 **Author's Note**

 **It's freaking hard to write political opinions if you don't agree with them. I don't agree with Richard's opinion on immigration. Still. /goes off to rant about politics/**

 **This chapter's title 'Gravity' is taken from the song 'Gravity' (duh) from Against the Current. "You are my Gravity" is a line from the song, and the song describes Michael's feelings about Charlotte (and her passing) well, as well as also referring to Isadora in her last chapter with her brother / ex-boyfriend. :)**


	28. La Vie en Rose

**28**

 **La Vie en Rose**

"Jason, do something!" Katerina insisted, barely holding back her temper.

They were gathering the attention of other ball guests, and Rhosyn did not like that. Among these guests were her two parents who didn't like the attention either – although for another reason. For them, it was embarrassing and dangerous for the reputation they had build so carefully. For Rhosyn, it was just that she wasn't a people person.

"What? I- I-" Jason wasn't either; he was worse. "Please, I… I don't know anything, Katerina. Just… calm down, yes?"  
"Calm down?!" Katerina couldn't believe what he had said. "This… this.. this… this woman here, she just insulted _me_!"  
"Yelyzaveta, apologise!" Anton demanded angrily. Rho couldn't help but to think of a child throwing a tantrum though; Isadora didn't even bother to look at him.

"Dear, is all alright?" Carianne stepped to the group, pushing Tilly mindlessly aside.  
"Not at all!" Katerina, ignoring whenever the 'dear' had been Carianne's own children or she, spoke.  
"I am sure this is all a misunderstanding." Nazar tried to calm the tension. "Tilly just misunderstood something, _didn't she_?"  
Tilly took a moment to take the hint. "Huh? Uh, yes?"  
"Then do apologise!" Katerina demanded.  
"For what? Speaking the truth?" Rhosyn laughed out. "Katerina, you're just-"  
" _Rhosyn_!"  
"What?" Rhosyn turned to her parents. "Don't you see what she's doing?"  
"Ka…" Carianne sighed. "Katerina is a great young woman, and I am glad to have her-"  
"Do you even know how much she makes Jason work, just 'because she wants to go to Italy for the weekend'?!"  
"Rhosyn that is…" Carianne broke off. "You… Honey, please understand-"  
"Mum, you're a doctor. You know that overworking isn't healthy. I mean… Look at the Hippocratic Oath; Jason barely slept recently, and while he's working so much, Katerina is just sleeping around-"  
"Rhosyn, hold your tongue!" Her father demanded.

That was enough.

Enough of her ignorant parents who were just glad to have found entrance to the upper class circle – no matter if they had to pay with the health of their son.

"You know…" Rhosyn clenched her fist frustrated. Her parents wouldn't listen huh? "Let's leave." She told her friends and swiftly turned around.  
Isadora followed her in a heartbeat, and so did Tilly. Jason helplessly looked between his wife, his parents and sister, unsure what to do. He wanted to leave with his sister and her friends. His parents expected him to stay. Katerina probably didn't care.

It was Nazar who pushed him to leave.

Isadora, Rhosyn, Tilly, Jason and Nazar initially headed out of the room to get fresh air, when Katherine – having left Aubrey – joined her. Tatiana and Africa joined soon afterwards, and the six friends and two relatives caught up.

After the initial rant, the eight decided to return to the ball room, but purposefully decided to avoid one thing: any relatives.

Rhosyn was angry at her parents.  
Isadora was torn between hatred and wondering why she suddenly cared again.  
Katherine tried to comprehend what she had been told.  
Tatiana was glad to hear that she wasn't the only one struggling with her family, but still sad.  
Africa – not having been present at the debacle with Katerina – stayed with Tate whom her mother had told to watch after.  
Tilly felt guilty for starting the whole debacle.  
Jason was clearly nervous and worried, and Nazar just tried to not be torn between his love for his family and Isadora.

Long story short – the evening was ruined for all of them; even those who hadn't expected to deal with family drama.

None of the seven (Nazar had left to calm down the Bonovich parents before Isadora'd return to them) seemed very motivated to do anything. Tilly was playing around with the frill of her skirt, but even her ever-bright mood was completely down. She had apologised to Rhosyn, Jason and Isadora multiple times, only stopping when Katherine told her to do so.

Jason and Isadora were discussing ballet. Katherine seemed to be trying to join the conversation, but Isadora blocked her off. Probably still the resentment, Tilly concluded. Tatiana and Africa were distracting themselves with talking about movies, but the conversation sounded empty. Rhosyn seemed to be thinking about something – maybe what just happened?

Tilly wasn't joining any conversation anymore. Her mood _really_ had died down. The brunette was just playing with her frill, wondering if she couldn't leave early and spend the rest of the evening with Mr Serious.

"What's going on there?" Katherine pulled her out of her melodrama.

Kath was referring to a large gathering central to the ballroom – primarily with the Selected and their families. Most of Tilly's friends rose to see the situation better, and she joined them too (more to avoid being the only one standing though).

"I think… Is that Scarlet Hunter?" Tatiana recognised the redhead standing with Michael in the centre.  
Africa nodded. "There seems to be _something_ going on. Shall we check it out?"

They decided to join the gathering, squeezing through the families to see what exactly was going on. Scarlet was, with who seemed to be a co-worker, talking to the crown prince, whose answers sounded far too practised to be his own, Tilly thought. He seemed calm though, so the on-going theory that he wasn't good with media either didn't apply, or he trusted who had scripted these answers for him.

Tilly saw Silvestre in her pirate costume with Rihanna next to her carefully watching the ongoing conversation. She had been the one, she concluded.

"Now, my personal interest." Scarlet teased, and Michael tensed up. "Whose costume do you think is the best?"  
The relief in his expression and body posture was purely visibly.

"So… This is an interview?" Tatiana concluded.  
Isa shrugged. "I thought it was more interesting."  
"Sssh. I wanna hear who he thinks got the best costume." Africa shushed them.

"Well…" Michael prolonged me. "Absolutely me, you know." He joked.  
"And among the young ladies here?" Scarlet teased, totally taking his word.  
"Don't quote me on that." Michael joked – still tense though – and looked around. "Oh… This is difficult."

He was trying to look casual and play the game with her, but he struggled with remaining calm. Hadn't he at least had one drink? Probably not, going by Silvestre's watchful eyes over him the whole evening.

Tilly wished he would have joined the girls, but Michael had remained aside with his two friends. She couldn't help but feel jealous for Rihanna.

"I really, really am amazed by Africa's hair." Michael eventually decided. "I heard she did it herself?"

The watchful crowd of girls and guests looked out for the actress who was pushed towards the free centre by her friends. Africa looked as if she was blushing, but she also beamed with pride. She really loved styling, huh?

"Yes, I did." Africa smiled. "Thank you. I like your costume too." She winked flirty (at whch Michael smiled at), before rejoining her friends.

"So, Miss Oaks is your favourite?"  
"I'm not so sure." The prince admitted. "There are… Hmm…" He looked around again. "I think I do have two who I'd give the first price."  
"And who might that be?" Scarlet questioned. "Me? I really like my costume!"

Most people laughed, but Tilly tensioned up. She hadn't expected this. Her dress was more of a personal fantasy rather than intended to look like someone who would win, but _who_ had caught the prince's eye?

"I am afraid, no." Michael responded with a chuckle.  
"Who then?" Scarlet asked. "Among the Selected?"  
"Yes, among the Selected."

Quite a few of the girls seemed to chatter and look around. Two, Tilly noticed, visibly adjusted their hair in the hopes of being chosen.  
"So?"  
"This-" Michael paused. "This is not a part of the Selection or anything; I can promise you this doesn't influence anything." He told the girls. So he had noticed the girls tensing up, huh? But did they actually like Michael, or did they just want the chance to be a princess? Did they even know what his hobbies were? Tilly didn't believe so. They had no right to try to win if they aimed for the crown!

"Yes, yes, this is part of the Selection." Scarlet chuckled.  
"I just said-"  
Scarlet winked. "Don't girls always look better if we love them? I think so."  
Michael sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, serious, I'm going for the clothes here."  
"Yes, yes." Scarlet laughed. "Who is it?"  
"Two, as I said." Michael repeated, keeping the tension up. "Mayli, -"

The friends froze. Oh, of course it had to be Mayli, Tilly thought. The brunette (dressed as Swan Princess) did, no doubt, look beautiful, but Rihanna _and_ Sam both had told him about the truth, hadn't they? How did Michael not know about Mayli Yi and Sam Jones' past? Tilly felt herself growing angry, but-

"and Tilly Joyce."

The anger was gone in seconds, replaced by the brightest smile that the brunette could possibly have on her face. Tilly was happy. Being selected by her prince to be the most beautiful girl at the ball? That was a dream coming true!

"Come forward, you two!" Scarlet encouraged the girls.

In the corners of her vision, Tilly noticed Mayli stepping forward as well, but she ignored her. Slightly nervous, she began playing with the frill of her long skirt again while Mayli seemed to thank the prince and Scarlet. Quickly, Tilly did the same.

While the crowd soon dispersed, Tilly and Mayli stayed with Michael and Scarlet. At least now, Mayli was being nice, and she got her moment with her prince.

Rhosyn didn't join her friends again.

She headed towards where Silvestre and Rihanna were standing, watching the now-dispersed gathering from the distance. With a thoughtful and worried expression, she stopped in front of the press official.  
"Miss Lorde?" She asked promptly. She briefly waved at Rihanna.  
"Is everything alright?" Silvestre asked. "You look distraught."  
"Do you remember the information on Katerina you told me about?"  
Silvestre was surprised. "Yes, of course I do."  
"Can you leak it?"

Silvestre mustered the medicine student, making the brunette even more nervous. Why was she looking at her like that? Wasn't she going to do that? Rhosyn was worried. Making the decision without even telling Jason had been hard enough, but only now, the adrenaline started to wear of and she began to worry.

"Tell Scarlet that." Silvestre recommended with an unreadable expression. "She's the one who got the information initially."  
"The dirt on Katerina?" Rihanna asked curious. Rhosyn nodded. "Good luck with that."  
"Thanks." Rhosyn answered cut. She didn't really want to think about it.

Wordless, she headed towards Tilly, Michael, Mayli and Scarlet. Jason would be angry, she thought. He wouldn't approve of this at all, but it was the best for him. It was the best for Rhosyn too, and Katerina genuinely deserved it. It was the right thing to do, Rho reminded herself. It had to be. It absolutely had to be.

"Miss Hunter, am I right?" Rhosyn spoke up, interrupting Mayli midsentence.

The medicine student couldn't bother with Mayli right now; she blended her out and turned to the as peacock dressed journalist. Her surprised friend and the crown prince had to wait as well.

"I apologise for interrupting, but I need to talk to you – now."  
Scarlet played surprised. It wasn't real surprise, Rhosyn realised – just curiosity and slight confusion – but Scarlet hid it with a well-placed chuckle.  
"I just had a very interesting conversation – what do you have?" She teased daring.

She couldn't be serious, Rho thought and clenched her first again. She needed to talk to her – not bother with some games on who 'deserved' Scarlet's attention. Rho needed the leak to happen soon – so her parents would be there to deal with it (they deserved to deal with the embarrassment of arranging this marriage), but she also had a plausible reason to be with Jason, in case he was the one blamed for it.

"I need to talk to you about Katerina Crowe. I believe you _know_ what I'm talking about." Rhosyn's voice was firm – as firm as she could make it, at least – but trembled.  
"Oh." Scarlet now seemed interested. "Yes, yes, of course. Rhosyn Reynolds, am I right?"  
"Yes." Rho nodded. "And I need you to leak it."

She expected Scarlet to demand something in return. It was the only right conclusion – money? Information on the Selection in exchange, like she had done with Tatiana? Maybe she could offer her… What could Rho offer her? Information was the only reliable thing she had, and honestly? All she knew was certainly interesting for the journalist, but also information that was either private or the-Prime-Minister-forced-Michael-to-do-this scandalous.

"I would absolutely love to." Scarlet smiled. "Consider it as done."  
"Wha-?!" Rhosyn was surprised.  
"Honey, the Crowes are a family I can't stand." The redhead answered with an ironic chuckle added. "Close friends of the Starks - and I can't stand the Starks. The friend of my enemy is my enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend." She winked.

Why did Scarlet not like the Starks? Aside of her being a journalist with ties to Silvestre and a past with her, Rhosyn didn't know anything about her. Maybe just bad experiences, or not agreeing with their politics. Rhosyn didn't either – she was a liberal, and the Stark's party were heavily conservative.

Were they? Rhosyn had to admit – she had absolutely no idea about the family of her sister-in-law. She had met them, yes, but never exchanged many more words. But if Katerina was friends with the Stark family (or, well, had been – Cecilia and her uncle were the only ones left alive), then that explained why the Reynolds insisted on staying on good terms with them. And it explained why Katerina's family was so well respected. The Starks had been too. This could cause trouble then.

Oops.

Scarlet pulled out her phone and seemed to be sending something. "Posted on my blog. I can promise you that enough people follow it that it'll be in everyone's mind tomorrow."  
"Uh… Thank you…?"  
"No worries. I was just waiting onto the OK to release it." Scarlet chuckled.

"What are you talking about, if I may ask?" Michael spoke up.  
"Are you-" Tilly began, and Rhosyn nodded. "So, Jason changed his mind?" Tilly asked surprised.  
"Not… Not exactly."  
"I'm afraid, I don't understand…? What are you talking about?" Mayli, with her trembling and shy voice, asked.  
"Just some family scandal." Scarlet waved it off.  
"I… I wouldn't call that 'just some scandal', Miss Hunter…?" Mayli nervously clutched her hands to her heart.

Rather than explaining, Scarlet began reading the blog article which – going by her – had already been viewed a lot. Scarlet had to be influential, Rhosyn concluded. As Scarlet continued to read, Mayli's expression froze with her mouth open.

"That sounds terrible!" She claimed heartbroken.  
Tilly silently looked at Rhosyn. The message was clear – _you didn't do better, Mayli Yi_ \- but Rho waved it off. _Let's not talk about this now._ Mayli didn't notice them – instead, she expressed open and genuine support for the Reynolds siblings. Rhosyn wasn't sure whenever she believed the support, but at least it was nice to hear.  
"I can't believe that Cecilia is friends with her…" Mayli remarked.  
"Oh, you're friends with Cecilia right."  
"Cecilia and Katerina know each other?" Tilly asked surprised.  
Mayli pointed towards the two women standing not too far away, talking. "Yes, they are. Their parents are friends too."  
"That makes sense." Rho agreed. One bitch liked the other. "Miss Hunter, thank you very much."  
Scarlet once again waved it off. "I am doing this because I can't stand these people either. I would hate to be cheated at."

While the three Selected and the journalists were talking, Michael had grown quiet. His glance had been lost in the air, but his mind was racing. What if, What if, What if? He had just won the support from an influential journalist – Scarlet – through what had been nothing but a joke outfit. It had been an unexpected gift that he had grown to treasure over the past hour or so.

For once, the press liked him.  
As impossible as that seemed.

But now? He hadn't even had a day to enjoy his small victory, but now, Rhosyn had to start another scandal? The name Crowe only barely rung a bell in the prince's memory, but if that Katerina was a friend of Cecilia Stark, then this was going to turn into a disaster. One big disaster. Or many big disasters, if he had to deal not only with Katerina, but also Cecelia and the press.

They'd probably somehow come back to him. Whatever they'd make up – they'd find something and make their way from there. They always did, they always managed. They always did. They always did. He was just going to be the royal disaster, the black sheep in the country's reputation.

They'd hate him again. Silvestre's tell him to stay inside again. He was going to deal with yet another big made up lie. He didn't even know that girl, but she'd probably pull him into another disaster.

The blonde prince hated that Crowe girl. He hated Scarlet for releasing the scandal. He hated Cecilia for making her important and interesting. He hated Silvestre for not stopping this – it was her job! He hated Rhosyn for deciding that some random brother was more important than what would probably be Society's next topic of conversation.

Reynolds, he thought. This was her fault. Didn't she realise that this was exactly how it worked? People had affairs all the time. Happy marriages only happened in fairy tales – if you always had to care about reputation, then there was no way to be happy. His mother hadn't been happy either – and she married her dream prince. Stupid, he thought. Naïve.

 _Raisin Reynolds is out of the Selection,_ Crown Prince Michael of Illéa decided.

 **Author's Note**

 **I didn't want to give this 'win' to my charas, but Mayli has to – for the plot's sake. I'll reemphasise here that none of my three girls (Rihanna, Cecilia & Mayli) will win. ;) Tilly is my personal favourite in overall outfit, but I also liked the hair that Africa's user chose.**

 **Rhosyn doesn't make the connection, but the Starks are heavily anti LGBT (and racist. and more. They're based on Trump.), and Scarlet's is openly lesbian.**

 **Also, plot twist. :-)**


	29. Chasing Ghosts

**29**

 **Chasing Ghosts**

Michael slowly turned away from the talking women. He headed for Silvestre who was standing alone at the moment. Good, he thought.

"Silvestre? We need to talk."  
"What can I do for your highness?" She smiled in her business smile that concealed anything real.  
Michael couldn't bother to pretend to care. "When can I do the eliminations?"  
Silvestre frowned. "What happened? You stopped bugging about that weeks ago."  
"I want Rhosyn Reynolds eliminated." And if he was already doing that, then Katherine Rhodes might go as well, he thought. "and probably Rhodes too."  
"That… That's one of the girls your father would prefer to keep." Silvestre reminded him. "And Rhodes is a must from Greene." She added quietly.  
"I don't care." Michael shook his head. "Did you know that she apparently has some dirt on Cecilia's friends and had it leaked? Literally just now?" Of course, Silvestre didn't.

Except, she did. "Yes, I did. Now?" Shocked, Michael failed to nod. "Scarlet's faster than I expected." She remarked uncharacteristically calm.  
"And you're letting this happen?"  
"It's none of my business." Silvestre answered.  
" _None of your business?!_ " How in the world was that not her business?!  
Confused, Silvestre shrugged. "No, of course not." Where was the serious, work-focused Silvestre Lorde that Michael was used to, and who was this? There was no way Silvestre Lorde would _not_ care about this!  
"This is going to turn into a publicity disaster, you know." Michael insisted.  
"For the Crowes, yes." Silvestre nodded slowly. "Do I work for the Crowes? No. I work for your family."  
"They'll trace it back to me – somehow."  
Silvestre stepped closer, mustering the panicking prince carefully. "You aren't involved with her – or were in anywise?"  
"I don't even know who this is about!" Michael insisted. "Some Katrine Crowe or so.  
"Katerina." She corrected.  
"Whatever."  
"Why would they trace it back to you?" Silvestre asked. "If you have nothing to do with her, I fail to see how that would be a publicity disaster for you. Scarlet's probably going to turn your unicorn thing into something good – well, she definitely will – and Katerina's scandal will probably overshadow anything else."  
"They always do." Michael insisted.

Silvestre took a deep breath and smiled again – this time a real, warm smile. "Michael, I genuinely do not believe that this will be a problem for us. Rhosyn will probably get to deal with some people asking her questions, but even if – she's the cute sister who saved her brother from being used. We've got Scarlet on our side, and she _is_ good. You're paranoid."

Michael shook his head in disbelief. How could Silvestre remain that calm? He wasn't paranoid – he just was used to what was inevitably going to come. He just didn't want to deal with that _again_. The whole story about Rihanna's friends on YouTube had _just_ started to die down, and there was still Emmy…

Wordless, he turned around and walked off.

* . * . *

 _Weeks ago, before the ball had been announced, Michael had rushed into the nowhere – fighting with what he had just been told, the news that Emilia was dying – when he ran into Mayli Yi. The shy brunette had comforted him until she had to leave for their lessons._

 _He had been damn close to saying 'screw the lessons', promising her that she wouldn't get into trouble, but he had given himself the rule not do that. It would be favouritism_ and _mean to the girls. The prince changed his mind seconds later._

 _Mayli had been understanding – she had listening to his endless rants about how he needed Emmy to deal with the press, and how he needed Emmy to deal with his life – the rant about pretty much everything._

 _Michael didn't know that Sam headed to Rihanna after that brief meeting. He generally had little idea of what exactly was going on with the girls – he just knew what concerned him. He didn't know that Rihanna and Sam confronted the girls, telling them that Mayli had been the one to manipulate them. He didn't know that when this didn't work out perfectly and when he kept meeting with Mayli in the following days, Sam revealed his past with Mayli Yi – not only to the six girls and Rihanna, but also Silvestre who was ultimately convinced._

 _Even though he continued to play the role of the Selection prince and met with other girls, his 'coincidental meetings' with Mayli when walking the dogs continued. Mike vaguely knew about Sam's past relationship with someone named Mayli, and by then, Sam insisted that Mayli Yi was 'his' Mayli Yi, but to Mike, this was just some crazy coincidence with names and appearances ('maybe dad's right with all Asians look the same?') because Mayli Yi was nothing like the girl Sam had once dated._

 _Even when Sam confronted him, he refused to believe him._

" _Mike, I'm serious. Mayli Yi is the girl I dated, and I'm freakin' worried about you."  
"Are you jealous?" _

_These words hurt Sam, but they were spoke in anger. Didn't Sam want him to be happy? What kind of friend was he? He found someone he felt OK around – someone who listened and was the best he expected from the Selection because his ideal outcome? Well, Richard and Greene and probably everyone else would stand against it, knowing his luck._

 _Mayli Yi wasn't love like in fairy tales and romance novels, but she was nice and fun to have around!_

 _Maybe something 'more' could grow out of what they already had, but Sam? He didn't want that to happen – obviously._

" _No, I'm not." Sam insisted when they had been talking in the hallway.  
How angry Mike had been. He didn't want to break their long-standing friendship, but he was close to.  
"Then just let me have this-"  
"Mike, she's gonna use you." Sam had insisted.  
Wordless, Michael left frustrated._

 _Their communication in the following days had been questionable, but over the weeks restored as the rumours on Reddit slowly died down. Sam's opinion didn't seem to change (little did Michael know of what was going on in Silvestre's office), but no one from his family and friends approached him again. They knew how stubborn he could be, and they were looking for further proof._

 _If Michael didn't believe his best friend, it was questionable how much they could get together though._

* . * . *

Michael stopped where Sam standing – talking to some people from work.

The traitor had walked off and changed into a suit when Michael hadn't been looking, but that wasn't the issue right now. The gained his best friend's attention and pulled him along out of the room. Hopefully, no one would follow them.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked his best friend confused.  
"No." Michael proceeded to explain what had happened. "Which is why I want to do the elimination number one as soon as possible."  
"Mike, are you sure that this is a good idea?" Sam questioned carefully. "I can understand your feelings, yes, but I doubt that Rho would have wanted to cause you any trouble, and I do agree with Silvestre's view." He answered.  
"Raisin was involved into the YouTube video too."  
"So was Rihanna."  
"Rihanna wasn't in it…?"  
"The fight between the girls also involved her." Sam answered. "She just wasn't there when the video was taken – against their consent, by the way."  
"And?"  
"They did nothing but have a fight. Girls do that a lot." Sam explained. "Even Emmy and Rihanna did. They didn't even know that there was a video."  
"They still got into trouble."  
"No, Reddit put them into trouble. The internet always does that. Going by Reddit, you're a lizard."  
"I'm not-" Michael broke off. "Whatever. The point is that Tatiana, Rhosyn and Katherine all did-"  
"What exactly did they do?" Sam asked. "Just- Just for me to confirm, alright?" He hoped that Michael was calming down – that was evident.

Michael didn't really want to calm down though. "Rhosyn had the thing with that Crowe girl. Tatiana talked to Scarlet. Katherine is mean."  
"Tatiana did a good job with Scarlet though." Sam remarked. "There was nothing negative about you. I'd be more concerned about who took the video."  
"Well, we don't exactly know that."  
Sam shook his head. "Sadly not. We should have checked the girls' phones."  
"Sounds a bit extreme." Michael remarked dry.  
"Don't you want to know who took it, and uploaded it? That person wanted a scandal – not these girls." Sam paused. "From what _I_ have seen, give Tate and Rho another chance. Tate really didn't do any bad, and Rho just wants to help her brother. Kath, I can understand, but I doubt that Greene will."  
Michael sighed. "Probably not, you're right."  
"Will you do me the favour of thinking about it? Maybe until the girls' families are heading home in a week? You could do it on the last day."  
"That doesn't sound like a nice farewell." Michael chuckled.  
"They can return with their families, in that case."  
"… Alright." Michael nodded. "I'll talk to Silvestre. Let's go back in."  
Sam smiled. "Sure."  
"Also, _where's your costume_?"  
Sam just laughed nervously.

Little did they know that Cecilia Stark had been listening the whole time.

* . * . *

Cecilia caught the last bit to some degree – Michael was considering to eliminate Katherine, Tatiana and Rhosyn. The blonde lady quickly returned to the large ballroom, to find Mayli looking for her.

"Oh, honey, are you alright?" She asked her friend.  
"I was just looking for you." Mayli answered with her usual happy chatter voice.

Mayli Yi was a part of Cecilia's plan; Michael seemed to like her, and historically proven, people close to the Selected the prince preferred had a better chance to get far. Sure, there were other influences, but Cecilia Stark was a Stark – she had a name that _meant_ something. Little did she know that she was a pawn in Mayli's plan as well.

"I heard something quite, quite interesting." Cecilia whispered to her friend. "Don't you think that your… friend would like to know?"  
Mayli bit on her lip, her voice instantly cold. "What."  
"Don't worry, your secret's still safe with me." Cecilia hummed.

It was only until she needed Mayli Yi out of the Selection. Their friendship was – probably from both sides, Cecilia knew – pretended. Cecilia wanted to be close to the prince (but it just didn't work; must be Rihanna's work, she realised) and Mayli needed someone to stop her from doing stupid social faux-pas. That, and Mayli's little secret about the CEO of The Angeles Sun.

"Well, what do you know?" Mayli asked.  
"Our dear prince is considering to eliminate Katherine, Rhosyn and – thank god – Katherine."  
"Ah." Mayli mumbled emotionless. "And? Why?"  
"Tatiana, because she spoke to Scarlet Hunter at some point. You remember that overly sweet article?" Mayli nodded. "Probably as exchange."  
"I knew that." Mayli reminded the blonde. "Rhosyn, I can guess, but Kath?"  
"He probably just doesn't like Katy." Cecilia laughed. "Understandable. She's weird."

Mayli rolled her eyes, but Cecilia overlooked that. She didn't understand that society had standards, and they had to be followed. No need to play the overly intelligent girl who skipped two grades just because she _could_. Woman had their place, Alexander Stark had always taught her. They had strengths men didn't have, but engineering? Seriously? A joke.

"Let's tell Katerina." She decided.  
Mayli followed her wordless – just like the little Asian should, Cecilia thought. Unknown to Cecilia, Mayli was considering options though – should she tell Katerina about the leak, or not? I didn't make a difference to her, she believed. All she needed was to stay in the Selection for a little bit longer.

Mayli didn't tell. Katerina's loyalty had been won through Cecilia, and she was curious about the mess that would follow. Of course, the chatty but stupid Cecilia wouldn't know.

* . * . *

Tilly remained with Rhosyn when Mayli left them, and Scarlet waved off to talk to other people. The two intended to rejoin their friends once they had gone and gotten something to drink, but a still angry Carianne Reynolds stopped them.

"Rhosyn!" The doctor called out, followed by her husband.  
Rho visibly sighed. "Hm?"  
"How do you explain this?"

Tilly saw Rho twitch. She was equally taken by surprise. Did the Reynolds already know about the leak their daughter had caused? How? She doubted that Carianne was anything of a woman to spend her time on her phone – especially no on such a social event!

"What…?" Rhosyn carefully asked, hopeful that she was talking about something else but Katerina's countless affairs.  
She was. "Katerina told me that Cecilia told her that she heard Michael talking about eliminating you."  
"Understandable. I am not interested in him." Rhosyn muttered under her breath.  
"That is not the point! Honey, don't you see-"  
"Uh, Dr Reynolds, by all respect…" Tilly slowly straightened herself up to talk to the woman. "I believe that Michael is the one who should choose who to eliminate. This about who he'll spend the rest of his life with; nothing that anyone but he should decide."  
"The public already believes that he is involved with Mayli Yi," Carianne ignored her, leading to Tilly looking down worried.  
"She's a jerk." Rhosyn mumbled.  
"That is probably why he wants to eliminate you!"  
"I don't think-"  
"Rhosyn, darling, do you not see what an opportunity this is?" Carianne sighed. "You've spend too much time with your books."  
"You did that too!" Rho exclaimed. "You're a med school graduate!"  
"Yes, yes, but I did try to establish myself into society." Carianne insisted.

Next to Tilly, Rhosyn seemed to be close to tears. Tilly looked between the two women, trying to figure out what she could do. Her dad maybe. He could help; he was a doctor too, and well respected at home.

But how could she get him here before this escalated?

"That reminds me!" Tilly called out. "Dr Reynolds, my father was very, very interested in talking to you about something." She grabbed the woman's hand. "Come with me!"

She pulled him (leaving Rho briefly confused behind) towards where her family was still sitting. To Carianne, it was one big mystery how Tilly could rush in her heels, but she had no choice but to follow.  
"Dad, you wanted to talk to Dr Reynolds, didn't you?" Tilly asked out of breath, hoping that her father would catch the hint.  
"Wha-" He paused. "Oh, yes, yes I did…" He nodded. "But that doesn't mean you had to pull her here like this."

In the meanwhile, Carianne straightened her back, and the two doctors began talking. Tilly's mother soon joined them – they kept Carianne distracted for long enough to allow Rho to go, find and ask Sam what he knew. The only thing her friend assured her was that 'she was going to be fine for the moment', but that she had to be careful, and try to keep anything related to the scandal with Katerina _away_ from Michael. Having never had the intention, Rho promised to do so.

The news soothed down Carianne (who, nonetheless, was suspicious) and the evening ended; all of them needed the night sleep more than anything else.

* . * . *

At one o'clock in the morning, Michael leaned backwards and closed his eyes exhausted.

Finally. It was over. The ball had been fun, until it hadn't. The whole debacle (press liking him once? Hey! Let's throw a scandal into it!) was far from over – Silvestre's hectic expression when she learned that the whole thing had been leaked _during_ the ball spoke more than a thousand words.

"Still thinking of the Selection and the ball?" His designated pillow asked.

Obviously, the pillow was a human. A human who embraced the tired prince from behind – not for the first time. Obviously, Michael wasn't going to tell anyone of this. Too many variables to consider. Too many problems. Greene wanted the Selection to stretch as long as possible... Michael vaguely nodded – as much as it was possible with his lover's cheek resting on his hair.

"It's over for today."  
"It's one o'clock."  
"It's over for yesterday, if your highness prefers that."  
"Don't you do that too." Michael complained.

A warm, humoured hum came as answer. "You have thirty girls who're nothing but strangers, basically. They'll just leave eventually – no need to bother with it."  
Michael agreed. "Imagine Rihanna seeing us now."  
"… That would be a mood killer."  
"Point." Michael nodded.

Michael leaned backwards over for a kiss, but as human physics dictated, couldn't really do that without magically floating in the air. He did manage to slap his lover with his nose.  
"Ouch." Said lover laughed amused. "How did you do _that_?"  
"… I'm tired, you know." Michael complained, turning around to get the real kiss. His lover leaned forward as well, knowing all too well that this day had been exhausting for him.  
"… Thanks." Michael mumbled.  
"For what?" Another, amused laugh. "What did I do this time – except delivering an A1 acting performance today, hiding what we have?" The prince's lover teased him.  
"In general, I mean. I'm really glad I met you."  
"So am I."

Michael yawned and took one of the actual pillows of his bed to lean against them and sit next to his lover. The bedroom's light was turned off – he wanted to make sure that no one knew that is heart already belonged to someone. Hopefully, no staff would think that they had the right to come in. No matter how important the business was, Michael had told them multiple times, he wanted to sleep in silence.

"You should sleep." A soft whisper into Michael's ear. He loved that voice.  
"You're not my mum." He complained with a quiet laugh.  
"No, I'm not – fortunately." Michael's lover laughed. "But I'm worried about you. You haven't slept well recently, you know."  
"You don't say." Michael yawned. "I'm the one who told you, you know." He nudged.  
"Exactly."  
The prince dropped his head on the shoulder next to his lover. "Alright… Good night."

 **Author's Note**

 **I realised that I totally forgot to show what Sam did. He obviously didn't let it slide that his best friend is befriending with his ex-girlfriend, but Michael obviously kept on being around Mayli.**


	30. History Has Its Eyes On You

**30**

 **History Has Its Eyes On You**

"There's sex happening, folks. We just can't see it… yet."

Rihanna broke into laughter, Sam rose and eyebrow and Michael dropped the tablet he had been holding. It was the last day with the Selected's families in Angeles, but while the girls (except maybe Rhosyn – the Reynolds had to deal with Jason's now-officially abusive soon-to-be-ex-wife, and Isadora whose father had left on the same evening of the ball for 'work') spent their second-to-last day with their families, the three friends were sitting in the garden of Angeles Palace. Michael was reading out obscure news articles about him and the Selection.

"That's ridiculous." Rihanna laughed. "Although," She leaned forward curious. "Who _is_ going to get your virginity?"  
"I am _not_ a virgin!" Michael insisted.  
"Tell me the name of one girl you dated."  
"You don't need to date a girl to-"

Rihanna waved him off. "Alright, alright. Let me correct myself. Who's gonna be your first relationship?"  
"I have been in relationships before!" Michael insisted.  
"You're contradicting yourself."

Sam quietly watched their little fight with a smile on his face.

"Don't look like that, Sam." Rihanna insisted. "You agree with me, don't you?"  
"I'm staying neutral."  
Rihanna pounded.  
"But, Rihanna, you have _no_ idea of what's going on." Michael assured her with a knowing smile.

Rihanna leaned back in the garden chair and glared at the prince. She tried to figure out what he was thinking off, but couldn't imagine anything but Mayli Yi. They still hadn't gotten anything – her dismay – and Sam believed that confronting Michael any further would be no help. He hadn't believed the screenshots and photos, so what else would help?

"Your Highness, Miss Lorde would be ready to see you now."

Michael hadn't noticed the butler arriving, but unlike his friends, he understood the message. He rose, grabbed his jacket and the tablet and dismissed the butler – he'd come now.

"What does mum want from you?" Rihanna asked curious.  
"Yes, what does Silvestre want from you?" Sam asked confused.  
"I wanted to talk to her about the eliminations." Michael explained.  
"Uuh!" Rihanna jumped up. "Who's going to be thrown out?"  
"Not telling." Michael laughed. "You talk too much. See you guys later."

Rihanna protested, but Michael left the two. Sam's lunch break was almost over, and Rihanna was capable of coping on her own. Plus, she had friends.

This time, Michael wasn't knocking when coming into Silvestre's office; she was waiting for him. The press official dropped the paper she had been reading onto her white desk. She knew why he wanted to talk to her – this time, she was fine with it. She was glad that Michael wasn't just doing a lottery (he had considered that too; fortunately, he had a vague idea of each girl's name) to figure out who would be leaving the Selection but actually had spend a bit of thinking on it.

"Is there anything new on the Crowe case?" Michael asked first.  
"I am not too updated on it," Silvestre began answering. "but from what I can see, the Reynolds 'can't believe it', and Jason is going for a divorce. There were a few people asking for Rhosyn's comment, but she won't talk to the press anytime soon."  
"Good." Michael nodded and sat down. "And now, to today's business."  
Silvestre turned the paper around. "This is Greene's list."  
The prince rose an eyebrow. "Greene's list?"  
"A list of all girls he wants to keep for now."  
"For now?"  
"Until the number of serious candidates doesn't fit with them, or they do something silly. Ordered by relevance."  
"Cecilia is quite low." Michael remarked.  
Silvestre shrugged. "She got in through her father, but aside of that, the Starks only have a name. Considering the fact that she'd take on your surname if she married you, that wouldn't make too much of a difference."  
"She could be a political rival in his party."  
"Cecilia is a terrible politician." Silvestre laughed. Right, Mayli had mentioned that.  
"Right. So, I can throw her out?"  
Silvestre shook her head. "She might be the last on his list, but she is still on it."  
"Anyone he _wants_ out?"  
"Mayli Yi," Silvestre answered. "But I guess you don't like that."  
"No." Michael nodded. "I don't want her out. On what basis? Sam's belief that she's his ex?"  
"He doesn't know that." It was bad enough that Silvestre seemed to side with Sam on this one. Even she had no real evidence on that – except that Mayli lived in Los Angeles at some point. "He just doesn't want an Asian woman."  
Michael rolled his eyes. "Stupid. She's in."  
"Noted down." Silvestre scribbled the name on another paper. "Who else is definitely in?"  
"Rihanna."  
"Already noted down. I figured."  
"She's gonna be in the Elite."  
Silvestre shrugged. "As long as you don't marry her, do what you want."  
"Africa."  
"Noted down. I thought you didn't like her thing with the acting school?"  
"She's still chill." Michael answered. "And in the end, it was fun. Plus, Rihanna wants her as her stylist."  
"Noted down."  
"With that reasoning?"  
Silvestre chuckled. "Yes, I am going to tell the press that she's in because my daughter needs a stylist."  
"Who else?"  
"Tilly."  
"Othilia Joyce, right?"  
Michael nodded. "Besides Cecilia, who's on the keep list?"  
"Isadora, Katherine, Tatiana – that one's on me; I don't want to risk her contact to Scarlet yet, Rhosyn.  
Michael deadpanned. "Two of them were out for sure."  
"Well, they aren't."  
"I'm doing the Selection – Greene can't force me to marry a certain girl."  
"No, but he still has other methods." Silvestre warned him. "Just play along for the moment. Which ones are the ones you want out?"  
"Katherine and Rhosyn."  
"I'll talk to him about them, but I doubt that he'll let Katherine go anytime soon. The Prescotts have much influence."  
"Raisin doesn't even want to be in the Selection. Nor does Isadora."  
"They signed a contract, Michael."  
"Under blackmail."  
"I'm not a lawyer, but I think they can cope with hanging out in a castle for a while." Silvestre answered. "Greene won't change his mind."  
"What if I convince them to go?"  
"I thought Rai- Rhosyn was blackmailed into participating?"  
"Katherine, I mean."  
"I doubt that he'd risk that."  
Michael nodded. "Good. Then, I also want out…"

The Crown Prince had made some plans about who he wanted in and who didn't want to, but their conversation still stretched over an hour. Michael insisted on eliminating ten girls, but he did care about who to eliminate – another aspect that made Silvestre believe he took it seriously. Good.

"Good. Twenty-five girls." Silvestre skimmed over the list. "You know who to eliminate?"  
"Yes." Michael nodded. "Email me the list though."  
"Will do." Silvestre nodded. "Tomorrow at twelve o'clock? The families' flights all are in the evening, so that should work with packing and saying good byes. They would have between six and seven hours between the time where they'll need to leave here."  
"Good." Michael nodded. "Can we do the roses thought?"

Silvestre leaned back with a loud sigh. She glared at Michael who seemed to be serious. The 'roses thing' had been a joke originally – a reference to the TV show 'The Bachelor' where the women staying were given roses.  
"No. This is serious." Silvestre paused. Michael's face dropped. If she wanted to keep him engaged, she needed to do a compromise. "If you really want to do anything like that, come up with something where I won't need to deal with copyright." She offered. "You have time until this even, at six o'clock. We'll need to get whatever you come up, after all."  
Michael smiled. "Deal. I already have an idea." He rose.  
"What idea?" Silvestre asked wary.  
"Bracelets." Michael answered. "You know the bracelets Emmy collects? The one where you just get a silver bracelet and buy the charms later on?"  
"Charm bracelets." Silvestre named them. "Yes. Please don't tell me you'll steal Emilia's bracelets."  
"No, I do need your team to get new ones." Michael shook his head. "But it's a nice idea, isn't it?"  
Silvestre paused a moment, going through the idea. "It's not bad. A sweet and individual gesture. You'll need to come up with a pattern though, unless you're open to favouritism."  
"Nah, I was going to go for some based on their costumes from the ball." Michael answered. "I'll ask Rihanna where Emmy got hers from and email you a list."  
"Do that." Silvestre nodded.

* . * . *

Tilly knew what was going to happen.

Everyone had somehow learned from it. Rihanna had told her friends – she was terrible at keeping secrets – and others seemed to have other sources. The media had gotten the leak too, and no one had seen Michael really. The last official meeting between the girls and their prince had been during the ball; some had met him and Rihanna had the suspicion that he had met Mayli again in between, but no one knew who really was at the risk of elimination.

"Each of us knows how their own date went." Tatiana remarked. "We can come to some conclusions based on that."  
Katherine leaned backwards. "In that case, I think I messed up."  
Tilly looked to the two girls. She wasn't sure about their intentions in the Selection. Especially Katherine seemed to have her issues with Michael's personality – she hadn't met the true prince yet though – so maybe she was among the girls he would eliminate?

The seven friends were sitting in the Women's Room alongside the twenty-eight other girls. Even though they hadn't been told officially what they would be doing, it was quite obvious – camera teams were everywhere.

"I hope I won't be eliminated." Tilly mumbled.  
Rihanna smiled cheerful. "Tilly, you're the girl with the dog. There's no way Mike will throw out someone with a dog."  
Said husky was sleeping at Tilly's feet, but the brunette wasn't too sure. Sure, it would have been mean to let Mr Serious come just to send him away again – travelling by plane was stressful for the dog – but she didn't want to make herself false hopes.

Isadora huffed. "Well, I'm out for sure. Fortunately."  
"I wouldn't be so sure." Rihanna shook her head. "I think Greene had his hand in who was selected, and I'm pretty sure that your family means something."  
"So, the elimination isn't in Michael's hand either?" Rhosyn concluded.  
"I don't think so. Not completely, at least."

The door opened, with Silvestre and Michael appearing in the doorframe. They seemed to be discussing something; Silvestre was handing him an iPad. Michael skimmed over whatever the screen showed and nodded. He handed it back.

"Good morning, ladies." He spoke up. "

Most girls' attention fell to the prince, and so did Tilly's, but she couldn't help but wonder what Silvestre did. The woman was speaking to a footman of the palace, standing next to a table with a weird box shape – a table cloth was put over whatever was behind that.

"I am pretty sure that the word has gotten out, and yes, it is true. I do not intend to drag on the Selection forever, and today, the first elimination has come."

He paused; the room was utterly silent.

"I know that in the past, this stage happened _before_ the respective prince even had a chance to go on a date with any of the girls – which I think is stupid. Silvestre's team agreed, hence us being here now after I-don't-know-how-much-time."

Behind him, Silvestre revealed multiple (twenty? Thirty?) black boxes before nodding to the prince and joining the director of the camera crews.

"Since I was already breaking this tradition, I thought 'Why not make up something else that's new?', and here we are. I don't know who of you watches 'The Bachelor' – I don't – but they've got this thing with roses."

He paused.

"Silvestre didn't allow me to copy the roses, so I had to come up with something else. I'm pretty sure this will be cut either way, so I guess I can ignore the script now."

Rihanna laughed; she didn't need to look at her mother to be able to imagine her annoyed expression.

"Sorry." The prince chuckled. "My sister, Emilia, really enjoys collecting these charm bracelets. I don't do that, but I guess it's a girl thing. We have prepared one for each of you – including the girls who will leave us today. For the ladies who will stay with us, there are two charms – one of them is individual, based on their costume from the ball. I'm not that creative, so sorry if it's not that… creative." He paused. "Okay, maybe I should look at the script. Whatever."

He turned around, seemingly looking for one of them; he found it, and took the black box.

"Rihanna, catch."

And he threw it towards the blonde – who fortunately did catch it.  
"Yeet." Rihanna called out.

"Since I don't think it's a big spoiler that Rihanna's in - she'd be hanging around either way – she can show you guys an example."

Tilly leaned over to see the content of the black box. As promised, it was a silver bracelet with two charms – a grey wolf head and a golden "R" letter. The blonde started handing it around so everyone could see it.

"The other one's the first letter of your given name." Michael added. "As I said, I'm not creative."

Once the girls and the camera (most of them had briefly come to Rihanna and her friends) were finished with taking a look at the bracelet, the attention returned to the crown prince.

"If I call out your name, please come up. I don't really want to test my throwing skills."

He began with the Allens girl. Unlike with Rihanna, most girls in the room applauded. Tilly had met the girl before, but she hadn't made much of an impression.

"Mayli." Most girls clapped – the seven friends didn't, but Michael didn't seem to notice. With a smile, he handed the brunette the black box. She peeked into it, before closing it again. She wouldn't show her precious win to others. Another week done, one less red number.

A few more girls were called and Tilly realised that the Crown Prince was going by alphabetical order of the provinces. The Baffin girl was left out, but she didn't seem to realise the order yet.

"Isadora."

Another round of polite clapping, but Isadora's expression was frozen. She probably had counted on being thrown out for no reason except lack of interest, but either her name had given her enough weight, or Michael liked her enough.

She opened the box to find – she seemed relieved – a golden "I" and a dark red rose, as well as a scribbled note that read "Sorry, I didn't really find anything fit for some Greek goddess. Your dress had roses, hence the rose – M". She chuckled.

Another few names were called out – Dakota and Denbeigh were skipped.

"Katherine."

Equally surprised as Isadora, Katherine rose wordless and received her own black box. Going by her thoughtful expression, she seemed to be looking for a reason.  
"If it was your family, then this is the same case for me." She whispered to Isadora as Michael turned back to the boxes. In her box was a "K" as well as a little Ravenclaw emblem, and another handwritten note reading "I didn't think this existed, but here you go, Ravenclaw - M". The girls laughed.

"Raisin." He called out, gaining the brunette's attention. She too received her box, but unlike her friends, it didn't carry a note – only the R and a circle-shaped charm with wave pattern.

Baffin, Dakota, Denbeigh, Fennley, Hansport. Tilly counted five provinces, if she didn't miss anything. They were already down to thirty, unless Michael was doing this on purpose. He went on, missing out only Kent.

"Cecilia."

The blonde lady rose gracefully and received her box. Unlike Mayli, she did show it all her friends – it didn't include a note either, from what Tilly noticed. Just a "C" and a yellow star. Michael continued to call out the Midston girl, but skipped Ottaro.

"Tatiana."

Michael handed Tate the black box with a quiet smile. Tatiana's individual charm, aside of the "T" was a silver tree. He hadn't said anything to the girls – was he avoiding favouritism? He hadn't said anything to Mayli, so probably he was. Whenever it was to remain fair or to protect his favourites from being bullied, Tilly didn't know. She just hoped that she wasn't going to be eliminated.

Panama's Selected.

Tilly trembling. Why was she living in Whites?! The tension was terrible.

Sonage's Selected.

Nervously, she looked to the girls. Some seemed to have caught the gist of the order by then; mainly the girls who were left out.

Sota's Selected.

She took a deep breath. St. George, Sumner and Tammins. Then Wavery. Then Whites. Her.

Wavery. He skipped the three provinces.

"Tilly."

Relieved, she breathed out. With the brightest smile (well maybe not as bright as a week ago), she rose to receive her box – alongside a sweet smile from the prince. Mr Serious, having woken up from hearing Tilly's nickname, followed her, and being the dog person he was, Michael couldn't help but pet him. While the husky got his fair amount of petting, Tilly peeking into the box. She had gotten a note!

While Tilly expected it to be just another short remark such as Kath got, she couldn't help but smile. She closed the box again as Michael rose and winked to her. The brunette blushed, and only reminded herself to return to her friends.

She overheard the next name because she was opening the box. "I'll explain this in a sec. Also, I went with T because I call you Tilly, not Othilia. I hope that's OK? – M" it read. Beneath it was the "T" she expected, alongside a silver snowflake, and another charm: a golden, circular crown. Her heart raced.

"What's that?" Rihanna asked next to her.  
Wordless, she pointed onto the note.

"Africa"

Africa rose with confidence and received her box – the last – with an "A" and a silver fairy in it. She was, however, more interested in Tilly's third charm to be happy about it.

"Now, as you might guessed, the women here who have not received box have been eliminated." He listed the ten names. "I can, in private, explain this to you in a moment." He looked distraught, Tilly thought, when he saw some of the girls actually crying. Maybe he couldn't believe that they cared that much. "Silvestre will brief you onto the details of flying back home; you will travel with your families."

He paused, giving everyone time to absorb the information.

"Now, this is something about which I have been advised a lot, by different people with different opinions. I decided to do as I always do, and not do what Silvestre told me. I am following my best friend's advice, and telling you this openly." He paused. "Two of you have been given three charms."

Tilly looked up – her friend group much less confused than others. Tilly could see Mayli smiling. She had one too? Was that good or bad? Michael seemed to have taken a liking in Mayli, so being equal with her had to be good? Maybe she _should_ befriend with her, to make sure to remain in such a position… But Tilly didn't want to betray her friends.

"Tilly and Mayli won the unofficial – and I did hear about the bets and contests between you guys; Rihanna isn't the only person talking to me – contest on the Halloween ball on who got the best costume, and this is their prize." Before anyone could be indignant, he continued. "I guess that's a reason to be jealous and all, but if _anyone_ ," He looked over the crowd of girls. "starts to bully someone, you're out." Isadora puffed. Tilly agreed with that reaction – Mayli was close enough. "I am working on other ideas for something similar – I think it's fun, and it's just jewellery, so… Yeah. This is all for today; I've got a movie afternoon with my best friend and you all have farewells." He ended the day.

Tilly ignored the glares of the girls who hadn't gotten a third charm. Her friends showed supportive (Rihanna called her "Halloween Queen") and the seven friends left among the first to meet up with their families again and tell them the news.

 **Author's Note**

 **First eliminations, yay! :)**


	31. Demons

**31**

 **Demons**

"The Selection began in early September, and only one week into November, the first elimination has happened." A list of the eliminated names followed. "During these two months, each Selected has been on one rendezvous with Michael Schreave, although rumours claim that Miss Mayli Yi had at least two. During the last week, the families of the girls visited Angeles; the week started with the Halloween Ball hosted by the royal family."

"It's been a week since the first elimination of Prince Michael's Selection was broadcasted. This Friday, the report has shown reports about the following first two dates as well as more material on the remaining Selected and their families from before the elimination. Miss Mayli Yi went on another rendezvous with the prince without cameras while Miss Othilia Joyce visited the animal shelter from their first rendezvous again – this time accompanied by cameras to rise awareness. Both women have made themselves a name by being best dressed on the Halloween Ball hosted by the royal family."

"Rumours about the next rendezvous of the Prince have been discussed, but none have been confirmed. The former Selected's belief into who is most likely to win the Selection appears to currently be Miss Mayli Yi and Miss Rihanna Lorde."

"The former Selected also have collectively denied the rumours that had been present following a video showing various Selected fighting. Going by the eliminated girls, the fight appeared to be a simple misunderstanding. Miss Mayli Yi, who had been befriended with the group until then and had been considered to look very uncomfortable in the video, has since then changed 'friend groups'."

"A few funny videos from the Selected have been posted online, showing the husky 'Mr Serious', belonging to Miss Othilia Joyce, playing around. The palace has verified the videos to be real, but has asked the Selected to stop posting them. After a small public outcry, the videos have been uploaded on the royal family's YouTube channel."

"Aside of the Selected themselves, their families have also gained attention, after the famous actress Alina Oaks was believed to be seen entering the residence of movie director Wallis Loveren. Oaks is the mother of Miss Africa Oaks, the representative of Zuni while Loveren is the father of Miss Tatiana Loveren, the representative of Paloma. Video material of the ball shows them alongside their daughters, leading to speculations about their relationship."

"While there are rumours about a romance between Alina Oaks and Wallis Loveren, Dr Jason Reynolds Junior, the older brother of Miss Rhosyn Reynolds from Honduras, has announced to intend to divorce from Katerina Crowe, his wife. His family has stated to be distraught by the turn of events and Crowe's affairs, citing that they were not aware of anything. Miss Reynolds has not been available for comments, but Crowe's close friendship to Miss Cecilia Stark from Likely has lead to speculations about the relationships between the Selected."

"The representative of Atlin, Miss Mayli Yi was not accompanied by her family due to work issues, but the family has recently been interviewed by the broadcasting staff of the palace, and the interview which was witnessed by neighbours, is expected to be aired next Friday. This makes Miss Cecilia Stark the only Selected whose family has not been interviewed, due to their unfortunate passing."

"No updates have been given on Princess Emilia's health following the never-recognised-nor-denied leak on her failing health and inevitable passing. The palace has requested press and public to stay away from the Angeles Hospital to allow all patients present recovery."

The podcast summary ended and Tilly yawned. Time to get up and eat breakfast, she thought.

* . * . *

Tatiana leaned backwards.

Once again, the girls were sitting in the garden of Angeles Palace – this time primarily because they were meaning to hold a so-called 'strategy meeting'. Most of the Selected weren't spending their time in the garden of the palace – for various reasons – leaving it a nice place for the girls to occupy.

Tatiana quietly petted Mr Serious who was sleeping on Tilly's legs. Tate, Tilly, Rho, Rihanna and Sam were sitting on the grass while Kath and Isadora occupied the bench nearby. Rihanna was summarising what her mother was doing – nothing new – and Sam added what he knew about Mayli and Michael. Isadora was on her phone, probably not listening.

"So, she hasn't done anything?" Tilly asked. "I mean… if she isn't doing anything, shouldn't we let her be then?"  
"No." Sam shook his head. "And, no."  
"What do you mean?" Rho asked.  
"First of all, I've done some adding up. Cecilia and Mayli happen to be best buddies now, and Cecilia and Mayli have gotten much better exposure by The Angeles Sun than anyone else. The Angeles Sun was also the newspaper that first got info on Emilia."  
Rihanna nodded. "Mum said it's very weird, because until recently, The Angeles Sun was just a minor local magazine. The company's CEO is rich, yes, but they aren't big."  
"What _is_ interesting is that Mayli had an internship there last summer." Sam explained. "Took me some digging, but she had one there."  
"I thought she's from Atlin?" Kath wondered. "She'd need to fly down from Atlin to Angeles."  
"She lives there now, for uni, but her family resides in Sonage, at the moment."  
"What makes that interesting?" Africa asked confused.  
"Long story short – through some questionable witnesses in the corners of the internet, people have put Mayli into the circle of friends of the Angeles Sun CEO." Rihanna summarised.  
"So…?"  
"Questionable." Kath repeated.  
"Yes." Sam nodded. "Questionable, but it would explain some other things."  
"Her clothes are too expensive for people who are in debt." Rihanna explained.  
"In debt?"  
"Apparently her family own some people lots of money."  
"Ouch." Tate blinked. "How?"  
"Loans that were wrongly invested." Sam answered. "Again, going by questionable – anonymous – sources, but it sounds realistic. When we were dating, her parents were struggling with income. Hence her stealing money from me."  
"So if her parents have financial issues, why does she have expensive clothes?" Africa asked.  
"The CEO again." Rihanna paused. "We suspect that the money comes from there."  
"But if he gave Mayli money, why not spend it on the loans?" Tilly asked confused. "Wouldn't that make more sense?"  
"That's the logic problem we're on right now." Sam explained.

Tate repeated the information in her head. Mayli Yi had a friendship with the CEO of some magazine about celebrities. Sam and Rihanna suspected that he was a source of money for clothes, in exchange for information that was in every respect private.

"How does that help us though?' Kath leaned backwards.  
"First of all, if the connection is true, then Mayli has leaked a secret that you guys weren't even to learn." Sam began to explain. "No one was meant to know, except close friends of Emmy. He won't take that leak light."  
"Michael hasn't believed you yet though, so how will he believe this?" Tate wondered.  
"We do need evidence, but one of the things he used to defend Mayli was that if it was 'my' Mayli Yi, then she might has changed." Sam paused. "Combining our past _and_ evidence of present, he has to believe us."  
"Will he though?" Africa asked wary. "He doesn't seem easily convinced – you two are his closest friends."  
"I have a vague theory on why he's so protective of Mayli." Sam admitted.  
"Wait, really?" Rihanna looked up. "What?"  
"I…" Sam paused. "It's related to some secrets he told me, and I shouldn't tell you without his OK."  
"Come on. Tell me." Rihanna insisted. "He's known me since I was born!... Ish."  
Sam sighed. "We all know that Mike isn't believing he'll end up falling in love with any of you girls."  
"Yes." Tatiana nodded. Tilly sighed. The poor girl really liked him, huh?

"I am starting to believe that Mayli is only here for the money you girls are being paid – because of the loans. It doesn't fit in with the mysterious source of money for brand clothes, but she obviously hasn't spent any of the money on her family, but I know from the interview clips I saw that she's giving all the Selection pay to them." Sam explained.  
"Maybe – if she's friends with the CEO as you believe – he is just getting her contacts to get the clothes?"  
"That was what I thought too." Rihanna nodded.  
"How did you find that?"  
"Scarlet was visiting mum and me the day before yesterday. They got drunk, and Sam told me that this was an opportunity to check what she knows or guesses."  
"I thought that Scarlet's already working with Silvestre?"  
Rihanna shook her head. "Not completely. She knows that Silvestre will only tell her so much if Scarlet doesn't get exclusives, and a) there isn't really anything except the things she's meant to dig up and b) Silvestre's unlikely to give her anything really juicy."  
"So we can't count on her?" Kath asked.  
"Mum believes so, but I think she's lacking the motivation. She's happy that Mike's taking the Selection 'serious' and doesn't wine 24/7. As long as Mayli doesn't do anything bad – which she, aside of the video which mum calls cat fight, hasn't – I doubt that she'll be all serious."  
"There was some initial motivation, but then the ball came and her priorities changed." Sam added.

"Alright, alright, but, Sam, how does Mayli not caring about winning work with Mike refusing to believe you?" Tilly asked insisting. She was nervously (and somewhat obsessively? She had woken up the husky by now) petting Mr Serious.

"Because Mayli isn't flirting with him, he thinks her more likely to get far and not openly complain if he finds a way out of the Selection." Sam explained.  
"Does he have one though?" Kath remarked. "If Greene's threatening to pass a law… He does have the majority in the parliament."  
"I think he's going to stall."  
"If he's stalling, why already eliminate?"  
"Greene uses the Selection to distract from the foreign relations stuff and the terrorist attacks." Sam explained. "They keep his image up. He wants stuff to happen."  
"But how will he go on?"  
"I haven't spoken to him about that." Sam admitted. "I don't know. I doubt he does."

"So… Mayli has good chances to get far because she doesn't want to marry him?" Tilly repeated nervously.  
"Yes…?" Sam slowly nodded. "I think to him, Mayli's just a friend, but he doesn't want to give her up. Do you guys know how keen she is on being a princess?"  
"Not overly. I feel like she's just here for the fun." Tate explained. "Isa? What do you think?"

The blonde hadn't said a single word in the whole conversation; her eyes were glued to her phone. She looked towards the friends with visible confusion in her eyes, but also quite a lot disinserted.  
"What?"  
"Do you think Mayli wants to marry Michael?" Tate repeated.  
Isa shrugged. "Don't know, don't care." Her eyes went back to her phone.

"Welp…" Rihanna sighed. "Maybe you could just, dunno, ask him?"  
"I was thinking about that," Sam answered. "but I genuinely don't want to get into another discussion about her. It's not good for my nerves."  
"Maybe you could-" Rihanna broke off. Her phone was ringing. Confused, she took it. "Mike? What does _he_ want from me, now?" She rose. "I'll be right back." She promised and walked off, starting the call with a casual "What's up?" before suddenly rushing off.

The friends wouldn't see her for the rest of the day.

* . * . *

They weren't in the garden anymore; they had moved to Africa's room.

"I still can't reach her." Tatiana updated the friends from the sofa. Africa looked up – she was reading articles on her phone – but nothing had changed. Rho and Kath were reading, Tate was trying to reach Rihanna or anyone who might know where she was, Tilly was playing with her dog and Isa was gone to call someone (probably not Rihanna; Africa hoped that if she reached her, she'd tell them).

Their 'strategy meeting' had happened after their lesson and during Sam's lunch. Now, it was late afternoon and Rihanna had disappeared from the surface of Earth.

"Why are we even bothering with finding her anymore?" Africa complained. "She ain't gonna magically appear."  
"Did you ask the other girls?" Tilly wondered.  
"Rho and I asked around, but everyone thought that she was with us." Kath answered.  
"Do you think something happened?" Rho suggested. "I mean, she pretty much ran off when Michael called her."  
"But why wouldn't he tell Sam?" Africa opposed. "If something happened to him, he'd tell Sam too – he's closer to Sam than Rihanna."  
"Maybe Silvestre?" Tilly suggested.  
"Why would _Michael_ call her though?" Kath remarked. "If even, it'd probably be someone working with her, or the hospital."  
"What about Emilia?" Rho suggested.

Silence fell. Oh, right. Cold chills ran over Africa's back. Emilia was dying. Who said that the time hadn't finally come? It felt like forever since the info on her condition had leaked; they couldn't keep her alive forever if it was hopeless…

"But Sam is also close to Emmy, and he didn't tell him." Tate remarked.  
"Maybe they want to decrease the amount of people who know? Since it was leaked last time?" Rho answered.  
"It's kinda difficult to hide a corpse." Kath's words were harsh. "I mean, someone's condition getting worse? That can be hidden, but death?"  
"They might want to give Michael's family time to mourn before the press rushes to them." Africa thought. "When dad died, mum didn't tell the public until she felt better."  
"But Sam is also friends with them." Kath remarked. "Why not tell him?"  
"Well, he did leave when his lunch break ended…" Africa thought aloud.  
"We could go to the Women's Room and ask if someone's seen Sam. Someone of the palace staff has to have seen him at some point." Kath remarked.

The girls agreed to do that and headed towards the Women's Room. To Africa's surprise, the room wasn't filled with the usual chatter of the girls; the whole atmosphere was quiet and professional. There were only two Selected in the room: Mayli Yi and Cecilia Stark. Both well-dressed (definitely not casual, Africa thought), they were in front of a running camera.

Initially, Africa didn't recognise the staff operating the camera or talking to the two girls. From what it seemed, this was an interview in its first stages – light and sounds checks were being made.  
"Excuse me, girls." One of the team members arrived. "Can I help you?"  
"… We were looking for Rihanna." Africa answered after brief hesitation. After two months, she believed that she knew everyone in the palace – this team was fully strangers.  
"She isn't here." The young man answered. "We're doing an interview here; so unless you want to watch and can be absolutely silent, I need to ask you to leave."  
"What kind of interview?" Africa asked curious.

The staff member turned out to be the leader of the team, describing himself as director. Without being asked for it, he began explaining how his magazine (he didn't mention the name until Africa asked – The Angeles Sun; the girls rose eyebrows in suspicion) intend to frame each girl in an individual, new way.

While he talked about that and the restrictions, Silvestre's team had given them, Africa's actual intention moved to the conversation going on between one of the team members, Cecilia and Mayli.

"Oh, yeah, there definitely were." Cecilia paused and laughed. "In my high school, there was this girl. She skipped two grades because she was some kind of genius or whatever." She shook her head.  
Wasn't Kath in Cecilia's grade? Africa turned to her friend. Katherine was listening too, but her face was frozen. Did she know that student too?  
"She was two years younger than we all were, so obviously, she wasn't part of the community. It's surprising how much you grow in two years, but she was just childish. Weird. I totally understood why most people avoided her. I mean, yeah, it's not nice, but she got herself into it. She could have finished school with her original grade too. They ignored her too – she was just in between." Cecilia paused. "I remember that she _always_ had Harry Potter merch around. Not the geeky style that some people like but childish stuff."

Katherine turned around wordless. Two years younger and a Harry Potter fan? That sounded like Kath, Africa realised. Nonetheless, Katherine was always rushing out of the Women's Room when Africa linked the two.

"Kath?" Rho called out.  
"Shush! Go away if you want to be loud!" The staff member remarked annoyed. That was probably better either way, Africa thought. She turned away and, alongside her friends, followed Katherine.

Katherine was gone – she was no were near the entrance to the Women's Room.

"Kath?" Rho called out. "Where did she go?"  
"Do you think Cecilia spoke about her?" Tilly suggested. "Didn't you mention that they went to the same school?"  
"We all did." Tate remembered. "I didn't listen to Cecilia – what happened?"  
Africa summarised. "So, if Kath is two years younger, that sounds like our Kath."  
"Let's not speculate about this." Rho suggested. "We should find her first."  
"She probably has gone to her room." Tilly thought.

"Let's go there." Africa agreed.

* . * . *

Katherine wasn't in her room. She wasn't in any of the girls' rooms either. Or anywhere, as a matter of fact. None of the palace staff members or the other Selected had seen her. Silvestre, Michael, Rihanna and Sam were no where to be found, so they couldn't be asked either. Katherine was gone, and when time for dinner came, she was nowhere either. Her phone was turned off, and by the time, dinner time came and the girls _finally_ found Silvestre, they were worried.

"Something must have happened." Rho believed. "Maybe bad blood? I mean, Cecilia didn't sound very friendly with the student she described."  
"Miss Lorde?" Africa stopped in front of the palace official. "Have you seen Katherine? We've been looking for her the whole day, and she's nowhere. Literally."

Silvestre looked unusually relieved and happy, but when facing the five girls, her usual business face returned. She paused – thinking for a moment – but then shook her head. "No, what happened?"  
"We're not completely sure." Rho answered and proceeded to tell what some of them had heard.  
"Have you asked if anyone of the palace staff has seen her?"  
"We did." Tate assured.  
Silvestre paused thinking. "It might be that she told them not to tell anyone, because she wants to be alone."  
"Oh…" Africa nodded. That sounded realistic.  
"I will check with the staff myself. I doubt that anything happened, so don't worry about her."

 **Author's Note**

 **What do you think of the format of someone listening to a podcast to summarise what the public knows / thinks? I was looking for a way to summarise the last 30 chapters, just to freshen up memory, but I haven't found any realistic way to do it with the insider info (mainly Mayli, but also Isa / Tate's plot during Halloween).**

 **Midway through this chapter, I realised that I was just telling not showing, and that having Rihanna actually getting the info from Scarlet would probably have been more interesting, but that'd mess up my plans. I'll try to do better, but the girls are almost at the truth!**


	32. Think Before I Talk

**32**

 **Think Before I Talk**

Silvestre _did_ ask where Katherine was.

She didn't do anything further though – at least not for the evening. Her message had been clear: she didn't want to see anyone, and she was talking to her father on her phone. To Silvestre, that seemed to be enough for the day. Details could be figured out tomorrow.

Today was too good to bother with that.

* . * . *

Katherine slowly opened her eyes.

She was laying on her bed and still wearing the same clothes as from yesterday's evening. The make-up she was wearing was ruined. Her eyes still felt teary. She had fallen asleep crying. Crying about, well, what happened.

It took her forever to get up – even longer to actually look acceptable and not like a nerve wreck. She checked her phone too, but ignored the 38 messages from her friends and family. Her phone had charged overnight, after an hour-long-conversation with her father. It had only ended when her battery life died out.

Her thoughts were hazy – she didn't like that. Whatever time it was, Kath noticed that breakfast had arrived in her room. At least the staff had taken the 'leave me alone' serious, she thought. At least something.

Momentarily, she thought back.

"No." She told herself. "No, no, no." Kath closed her eyes. "I don't want to think about that."  
Katherine dropped onto the sofa, grabbed a book (Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows) and opened it, eating as she read it. Playing music in the background, her thoughts soon faded and she focused onto the book. Better, she'd later think. She wasn't in the mood to deal with real life.

Only the knock at her door an hour later pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Can I come in?" It was Michael.  
Katherine was incredibly close to saying. "No." and turning up her music, but she didn't. She stopped the song and looked to the door. "Yeah."  
The young prince stopped at the door though. "What happened yesterday?"  
Kath puffed. "What do you know?"  
"Only that good old Cecilia said something wrong and that you were missing for the whole yesterday afternoon and evening."  
"That's pretty much it."  
"And?"  
"What do you mean with 'and'?"  
"That can't be the only thing." Michael shrugged. "What happened?"  
" _Nothing_ that concerns you." Kath hissed.  
Michael shook his head. "It happened in Angeles Palace during my Selection. It concerns me."  
"No."  
"Kath, I just want to help. You just gotta tell me and I can take care of it." Michael began speaking, continuing with something to which Kath didn't listen.

 _I can take care of it. I can take care of it. I can take care of it._

Kath trembled. Take care of it? Yeah, sure. Take care of it, just like they had said. Don't worry about it, just like they had said. Just listen, do what you're told. _Breathe, Kath_ , the blonde reminded herself. _Breathe in, breathe out._ It was clear what Michael wanted – take control of the situation. He had no idea though! No matter how good he meant, he would just mess it up more! _Breathe in, breathe out._ He was taking her freedom to decide what she wanted. He was going to decide for her. He wasn't helping, he was…

Katherine rose. "Excuse me." She spoke up cold. The door. She needed the door and get out of here. Not bother with just another person trying to tell her what to do. Not to bother with another person believing to know what would help.

"Wait, what?" She ignored Michael. "Katherine?"  
The door was shut with a loud _smash_.

Katherine was holding back her tears. Only slowly, she looked up – finding Isadora with a risen eyebrow in front of her.  
"Wanna trashtalk Cecilia together?" Isadora asked.

Trash talking was wrong – bad, mean and not polite. She was above that – she wouldn't need to bother with to go down on their level. But honestly? She hated them all. No need to be nice to them if they never were.

Kath sighed. "Count me in."

Who knew that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' was actually true?

* . * . *

Two days later, Katherine still refused to talk about what happened (although Isadora had grown incredibly (for her terms) friendly..?) and insisted on the topic to be dropped.

Considering Rihanna's non-stop absence (she missed two lesson units too…), the girls were far to preoccupied with making up conspiracy theories on why exactly was going on. Silvestre's mood was unusually good too and it seemed like Michael felt like he was invincible.

Tilly smiled. He was quite happy with the 'Michael seems happy' part. He deserved it, she thought. Kath ditching him when he tried to help her didn't sound very nice, she believed – it was unfair. Just because Michael did one stupid mistake? No reason to rush out without an explanation.

"I tried talking to Sam, but he said that, I quote, 'Everything's fine – don't worry.' – that was the only thing I got out of him." Rho explained. The girls were, for once, sitting in the Women's Room. It was raining (How unusual! Where was her beloved sunshine?!) and most of the twenty-five girls were still here. Tilly fiddled with her bracelet.  
"Hmm." She nodded disinterested. If they were happy, why bother trying to figure out stuff? At least Isadora was, just as before, not interested in the conversation either.  
"With whom are you chatting the whole time?" Africa asked.  
"Someone."  
"Which is?" She rose an eyebrow.  
"Not of your concern."  
Africa sighed. "Not helpful."  
"Rihanna is _still_ nowhere to be seen." Tate reported.  
"Maybe she was eliminated?" Isadora suggested with a shrug.  
"Why though?" Rho asked. "There's no reason for her to be eliminated."  
"Dunno."  
"Not helpful." Africa repeated.  
"Let's change the topic." Tilly sighed. "If you were to win, what would you do? Like, charity for example. Queen Charlotte always did lots of animal work, didn't she?"  
"Yeah." Kath nodded. "But honestly? I can't picture myself winning."  
"I don't want to." Rho repeated. Africa nodded agreeing.  
"If I was to," Tate paused. "Hmm… I have some ideas, but nothing explicit."

"Speaking of Queen Charlotte, did you hear the story of her saving a dog from being overrun by a car?" Kath asked out of the nowhere. "I heard that she jumped in front of a car to save it."  
"Yeah, I heard the story." Tatiana nodded. "It's… It's incredible reckless. She could have gotten hurt herself – or worse, died! That was when Emilia was just starting middle school, wasn't it? Imagine you'd start middle school and learn that your mother died…" She said. "It's incredible that she dared to do it though. It's brave."  
"I agree." Tilly nodded.

Behind the girls, Mayli hit the 'stop' button on her phone. The brunette couldn't help but smile – that was going to make him happy. With a bit cutting, this was a scandal. Problem solved. Hank Langston, the CEO of The Angeles Sun was going to happy with her work here and stop pressing.

* . * . *

In the evening of the same day, Silvestre was sitting in her office, nipping on a cup of tea. She was reading through the outlines for the next report again – already approved and currently being cut into place – but for once, there wasn't anything too major to take care off.

It was as if the world suddenly decided to give them all a break. With rain too.

Sure, there was Mayli Yi, but nothing had happened since Sam had pushed her into looking into the situation. Maybe Michael _was_ right, maybe it was just confusion? Even if their theory on a connection to the Angeles Sun's CEO, that was nothing valid.

The door opened without a knock, and coming in was Sam holding a tablet.

"Samuel? What is-" Silvestre sat up, annoyed to be interrupted in her break.  
Sam wordlessly dropped the tablet in front of her. "This had to be recorded by one of the girls. Angeles Sun again. It was Mayli. She's breaching the contract." He probably talked faster  
"Pardon me?" Silvestre paused. "Slow down."  
"Read it." Sam encouraged her nervously. Silvestre knew that he was bipolar, but ADHD? That was new.  
"Okay, okay…" Silvestre started skimming through the short article that was, evidently, just published but blowing up. The video which she played twice showed the brief conversation of the girls earlier today, cutting out the "It's brave" aspect.  
"Attitude controversy." She came to realise. "Tatiana was filmed saying something that hints to a bad attitude in the Women's Room. Since you suspect a connection between Mayli and Hank Langston, and since it had to be one of the girls, I guess you're saying that Mayli breached the contract now?"  
"Pretty much, yes." Sam nodded. "Is that enough to throw her out?"  
"Tell it Michael. Who isn't here." Silvestre answered. "Who is thrown out is up to him."  
"If I show this Mike, he'll throw out Tate for insulting Charlotte."  
Silvestre sighed. "I know."

She pulled out a piece of paper and took a pen, beginning to scribble things down. "I will talk to Tatiana about this and clarify the situation. If Michael is interested, he can get that information too. Once that's concluded, we'll release a statement explaining the situation. I will also remind the girls of the contract and tell them that we will look for whoever broke it." She finished scribbling this down. "Happy?"  
Sam puffed. "No."  
"I guessed." Silvestre paused. "You could talk to her."  
"They probably know that it was Mayli."  
Silvestre sighed. "Not that. You read the files of the girls? Their medical data?"  
"Yes?"  
"Then you know that Tatiana has a bipolar personality disorder."  
"How's that related to Mayli filming Tate?"  
Silvestre sighed. This was awkward. "Well, I guess it-" She had as much experience in talking about mental health as she had in doing brain surgeries.  
"Silvestre, by all respect, no. Don't even start saying that the disorder made her say that." Sam insisted. "Believe me, _I_ know."

In this case, Sam was probably the person to ask, considering that he had the same disorder, but Silvestre couldn't help but think that there probably had to be some kind of connection. Social stigma? Maybe.

"But-"  
"No." Sam, bothered, shook his head. "Just… don't start with this. The disorder is something completely different."  
Silvestre sighed. "Alright, alright – you're the pro."  
"No, I'm not."  
"You've got two years of psychology degree study." Silvestre remarked with a shrug. She couldn't help but feel somewhat insulted. She always had an idea of what was going on!  
"Do your thing, and I'm going to talk to the girls and Mike." Sam decided and left without another word. Silvestre, once again, sighed.

* . * . *

While Sam was in Silvestre's office, Africa and Tatiana were sitting in Tate's room. Until just a moment ago, they had been watching a TV show, but now, Africa's eyes were glued to her phone and the article on it.

"It must have been Mayli." Africa insisted.

The moment the magazine article had gone online, she had read it. This was exactly the reason why she didn't comment on politics. They only got you in trouble with people and crossed opinions, but of course, Tate had been in a private space. Someone had violated this.

Tate sighed. "Probably. Do you think that something will happen now?"  
Africa clenched a fist. "I hope so. This is becoming a serious mess."

Cling-cling. Tate's phone beeped on the table. With a sigh, she glanced at the lit screen. From her place on the sofa, Africa couldn't make out what the incoming message was, but after skimming over the screen, Tate dropped her phone and sighed.

"Just… gah." She groaned.  
"Huh?"  
"My sister." Tate pointed to the phone. "Again."

 **Jennifer:** Tate? Was that your bipolar thing again? How can you do that to me? All my friends at school now believe I hate the royal family too!

"I don't want to deal with this." Tatiana sighed. "It'd be nice for people to accept oneself rather than demand 'normality', wouldn't it? Jennifer always wants me to be different…"  
"Bipolar thing?" Africa questioned. Only afterwards, she came to realise that that probably hadn't been the best idea.  
Tate crossed her arms. "Bipolar personality disorder. I hate that."  
"Oh, like-" _Knock, knock.  
_ "Probably the others." Tate concluded. "Come in."

Sam came in. Tate hadn't referred to him as 'the others', but he was fine too. Sam quietly entered the room and joined the two girls on the two sofas.  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
"Do I look so?"  
"I'm not sure." Sam smiled a bit. "I just told Silvestre about this. I assume that the whole thing was taken out of context?"  
Tate nodded. "Absolutely."  
"Silvestre'll probably want to hear that from you too." Sam paused. "But she'll get the gist and there'll be a press statement on that. She also promised me to figure out who went against the rules-" "Mayli." "Yeah, I think the same. I hope I got it into her mind that it's not the disorder – if, I'll have Mike talk to her again."  
"Y-you know?"  
"We've got your medical notes. Before the Selection, Mike got all files and we, with Rihanna who probably didn't read them, went through them. I doubt that he remembers though." Sam explained.  
"How likely is it that he's gonna be helpful though?" Africa leaned back.  
"He's dealt with me and my disorder for… four and a half years? Yeah. He's used to it and doesn't think I'm insane."  
"Wait, what?"  
"I've got the same disorder as you do." Sam calmly answered. "Long story I don't want to talk about, but yes. Fun coincidence – not."  
"So did my dad." Africa remembered.  
"Did?" Sam paused. "Don't expect me to know all details of you guys."  
"He died when I was a child – from a heart attack." Africa sat up. "Hey, Tate, my mum was _really_ good with dealing with my dad's mood swings, maybe she can help you too?"  
"I know." Tate paused. "We talked for forever on the Halloween Ball."  
"Did you? Oh."  
Sam smiled content. "Well, if you are alright and in the care of your friends, I'm going to look for Mike and talk to him before he comes on wrong ideas."  
Tate smiled. "Thanks, Sam."  
"No worries."

* . * . *

Tilly stopped in the hallway.

Dinner was over. The news had gotten out. People considered Tate as already eliminated. Insulting Michael's mother was a no-go. Silvestre had announced to look into who had leaked the video, but no one particularly cared. Everyone just wanted to know when Tatiana was out. Tilly believed the friends' theory that Mayli was behind the video, but how could they prove it?

This was wrong, Tilly knew, but she didn't want to risk her chances. Rather than going with her friends who were intending to figure out something, Tilly headed into another direction – following Mayli Yi.

"I'll talk to her." Tilly decided. "Offer to be friends again; ignore what happened before." She thought discontented.

Mayli had walked into vaguely this direction, and Tilly was determinant to catch up with her. She liked her friends, yes, and they probably wouldn't take it well if she decided to befriend with Mayli again, but Tilly also liked Michael. Giving up her chance because of friends?

They would understand if she just explained, Tilly hoped. They had to. They absolutely had to.

"Hello~" Mayli's bright voice almost echoed in the hallway. Tilly stopped and recognised the brunette with a phone in her hand, talking to someone. "Hank, it's been a while." She paused. "Yeah, sure." Her voice was, as usual, happy and bright, but her expression bored. "Oh, yeah, I can come by this weekend… Yeah, shouldn't be an issue." Another pause. "Aww, that's so sweet of you. Thank you!"

As more as she went on with the sweet talk, the more annoyed her face grew. From time to times, she agreed, complimented or laughed, but it was only her voice that went along.

"Yes, of course we can play." She hummed. "Oh, and thanks, Hank, for the dress you sent me. It's beautiful. Did you see the video?" Another pause. "Aww, thanks. Did the video I sent you do well too? The one of Tatiana, I mean. The one I took for The Angeles Sun. Did it get you clicks?" A pause. "Ah, yes, I heard lots of talking today, but I kept away from it." Another pause. "Awesome."

Tilly backed off. What? Was she listening to the proof that Mayli had given the video to someone? What should she do now? This was… oh my, she thought. This was too much – if Mayli was discovered this time, then she had to be out. Tilly wasn't naïve – 'we can play' didn't sound like Mayli was going to play poker with someone. She wasn't sure whenever…

What was she lying about? It was obvious.

The Angeles Sun. The video of Tatiana. Dresses. Play. Mayli had contacts to _someone_ at the newspaper, and their relationship wasn't friendly at all. Tilly shuddered and stepped back. This… She didn't _want_ to think about what kind of relationship Mayli was in. Or whatever Michael had gotten himself into.

Mayli ended the phone call and sighed deliberately. Tilly did briefly consider confronting her, but what advantage would she gain? She should talk to Silvestre. Yes, Silvestre would figure out something. They had to do something! Something had to happen.

Angeles Palace was large but after two months living here, Tilly knew how to get to Silvestre's office. However, when she reached the press official's office, she was only told that Silvestre was in the Grand Hall. Tilly thanked the secretary and turned around.

Looking back, she probably could have texted her friends.

When Tilly reached the Grand Hall, she stopped to catch her breath. When she stepped inside, she did however find Silvestre not to be alone. Silvestre was talking to multiple people: the King, the prime minister, Michael, Cecilia and Mayli.

"… which is why the girls and Michael have been invited to the Rainbow Charity fundraiser." Silvestre apparently was finishing an explanation.  
"Remind me again, what's that?" The King asked.  
"A charity that helps LGBT teenagers who struggle with family acceptance, bullying … issues, whatever it is." Silvestre summaries.  
Greene sighed. "Do me the favour and do that. What's next? People demand that gay people can adopt children freely? That would be a horror for the poor children."  
"Yes, I agree." Richard nodded. "You two," He turned to Cecilia and Mayli what do you think.  
"About gay couples adopting children?" Mayli asked. Richard nodded. "I… I would feel very sorry for them. It's… It's… It's just not normal, if you know what I mean."  
"I absolutely agree." Cecilia nodded. "You do remember my cousin, Simon?"  
Greene sighed. "A… well, I was going to say tragic story, but it was expectable."  
"Simon?" Mayli asked. Tilly slowly backed up. She shouldn't be here, Tilly thought.  
"My cousin – my only one, actually. Long-story, but basically, my uncle slept with a…" She glanced at Mayli. "…a woman of poorer standards. Let's not discuss her. Well, he obviously had to marry her when she got pregnant, and that's where the drama started. Don't ask me her name, but that woman was a nightmare. She just… she didn't belong to Illéa. An outsider completely and always weird. Simon on the other hand… The same, really. He… He's gay. Was – he is dead. He ran off and probably died of drugs or so. I never bothered." Cecilia sighed. "An exhausting time – he nearly destroyed my father's career. He once even dated a girl – claiming to like girls and boys – but by then, my uncle had divorced that woman and she had disappeared out of our life alongside Simon."  
"So, you agree with that, Mayli?" Michael slowly asked. It almost sounded like… like a test?  
"Yes." Mayli nodded confident. "I'm glad that the Starks don't need to deal with that Simon anymore… Excuse me if that was rude."  
Cecilia smiled warmly. "My parents might not be here anymore, but they would have agreed. Plus, there's still my poor uncle."

Tilly backed off further. She knew the political opinions of Greene and his party, which probably included Cecilia too, but that? Mean! Was Cecilia implying that said cousin had gotten in trouble just because he was bisexual? Tilly shivered. Cecilia and the whole group were mean.

"Another idea I had – based on this – is to have the girls team up and hold charity events. We obviously need to give them more information and teach them a bit, but that would avoid… controversial topics." Silvestre remarked with disdain.  
"Why not?" Greene nodded. "They could choose the charities themselves."  
Richard chuckled. "That would also help us with sorting out girls with wrong opinions."

What?! How could Michael _not_ interrupt them!?

 **Author's Note**

 **Richard, Cecilia, Mayli and Greene's opinion is still not mind and will never be.**

 **Next Chapter: Sweet But Psycho**


	33. Sweet But Psycho

**33**

 **Sweet but Psycho**

Michael leaned against the back wall of his bed thoughtful. He was waiting for someone to arrive – his (somewhat – he _was_ holding a Selection…) secret lover. Having just texted said person, he knew it would take a few minutes.

"I gotta apologise." Michael thought with a chuckle. "I messed up terribly."

The door to his bedroom opened and the blonde couldn't help but straighten his back. It was dark – all lights were turned off – but he knew who was coming in.  
"That was fast." Michael remarked.  
"Didn't want you to wait long." The shadow of a person sat down nearby Michael's feet. "What's up? I have to be up early tomorrow, you know."  
"Right. Silvestre's doing the charity thing." Michael groaned. "She could have given me a bit more time between events."  
"You had… what? Two weeks? That's a lot. Christmas is coming."  
"Don't remind me."  
"But I doubt you wanted me to come to discuss Christmas or charity events." His lover laughed.  
"No, I didn't." Mike sat up. "Sorry for the weird atmosphere-"  
"I've been here often enough."  
"Point." Michael admitted. "I should apologise. I was a jerk."

Silence filled the room. Oh no. Michael shuddered. What if he was misunderstood? He had been a big jerk with the whole scenario about Mayli and all, and he definitely should have listened to the whole group of girls earlier, but…

"Yes, you were."  
"Sorry." Michael sighed. "You all were right with Mayli. I'll eliminate her tomorrow."  
"But is Silvestre fine with that?"  
"I don't care." Michael shrugged. "I don't want her around you anymore. Too much damage done already."  
"Not only to me but also to others."  
Michael sighed. "I know, I know." He paused. "Can you stay here tonight?"

His lover laughed out – an inconvenience in theory but fortunately, they both had done this before and they kept sleep clothes in the other's bedroom.  
"Just let me change into pyjamas."

* . * . *

Tatiana dropped onto the sofa in the Women's Room, only somewhat ready for the lessons.

Yesterday had been exhausting. The glares and whispered from the other Selected – sans her friends, fortunately – weren't just intimidating but also embarrassing. Yes, she had made a mistake – Tate admitted that – but their constant talking on when she would leave was making it worse.

Protective, Africa sat down next to her and glanced to the other girls that were looking at Tatiana. It silenced them, but didn't stop the depressing feeling.  
"How are you doing?" Tilly asked her.  
"I'm…" Tate shrugged. "I don't know."  
"Did you talk to Silvestre? Sam said that she wanted to, didn't he?" Africa asked.  
"Yeah, I did. She seemed understanding."  
"Uh, guys? What did I miss?" Rihanna asked confused.  
"The internet?" Isadora responded sarcastic.  
"Where have you been in the last days?" Africa asked wary. Tate agreed – Rihanna's unannounced, constant absence was mysterious.  
"Family emergency." Rihanna shrugged.  
"Silvestre's your only family." Kath rose an eyebrow.  
"Not in my family," Rihanna casually answered. She really didn't seem to think it was a big problem. "A friend of mine here. Don't worry about it."  
"Okay…?" Africa paused. "What friend?"

Rihanna didn't get to answer that question – she didn't have a chance to speak up. The door to the Women's Room opened and most of the girls expected their teacher for the day to come in. Their teacher did come, but Silvestre and Michael – talking (Michael seemed to insist on something, Silvestre seemed unsure) and ignoring the girls' surprise to their entrance.

Michael turned to the girls and smiled. He seemed… Tate wasn't sure how the prince looked like. Nervous, yes, but not in the way they had seem him with the press. Even though he seemed nervous, Michael also had an unusually serene smile.

He probably was happy that he'd get rid of a public opinion problem – Tate herself.

"Good morning," Michael spoke up with a bright, melodic tone. He was happy, huh? "I don't intend to keep you waiting from your surely very interesting lesson with… whoever, but I need to make a short announcement – then I'm gone for today. Work."

He paused, allowing most girls to briefly chat about what they thought the announcement was. Tate and her friends remained quiet – they expected what was coming. Tate glanced to Rihanna who was only hold back by Kath – she looked like she was about to jump at Michael.

Michael's voice turned cold. "Mayli, you're eliminated."

Silence. Mayli? What had Sam done to convince him to eliminate her? There was no way that this story with the video of Tatiana would have convinced him! What had Mayli done to be eliminated?

"What." Tate broke the silence.

Mayli rose. "Pardon me?" She asked in her typical shy voice.  
"You are eliminated." Michael repeated equally cold.  
"But- But why?" Mayli asked with a trembling voice. Shock filled her expression – she was at the edge of tears. Quite the opposite of the prince who's face was filled with a lack of emotions.  
"You've spread lies between the Selected. You've leaked Emilia's failing health." Michael began to list while Mayli's jerked at each point. They all were true. "You've made me doubt _my best friends_. You've taken a video of a Selected without her consent or the OK of Silvestre's team. You gave it to a magazine – against the contract you signed." He paused. "Among other things. I'm sure Silvestre will be so nice and organise a flight back home for you, but I don't want to see you here anymore. Period."

The seven friends looked at each other in confusion – they didn't see Mayli storm outside trying to hold back tears. The whole room erupting in curious chatter.

"What did just happen?" Rihanna asked confused. "Since-" She rose. "Mike?"  
The prince was approaching the girls either way. "Hmm?"  
"Since when did you believe us?!"  
"I'd be interested in that too." Rho nodded and leaned back.  
"Long story." Michael waved it off. "But, yeah, I should apologise to you all. I was stupid."  
"Did you believe us because of her sugar daddy?" Tilly asked innocently.  
"Wh-what?" He asked confused. "Wait, what are you talking about?"  
"I'm pretty sure that the CEO of The Angeles Sun is Mayli's Sugar Daddy." Tilly repeated and described the conversation she had heard the day before.  
"Wait, really? I knew that you guys had a theory on a connection between Mayli and that magazine, but- seriously?"  
"I just heard it." Tilly explained. "And came to this conclusion."  
"It _does_ sound realistic." Rihanna remarked.  
"I only know that Mayli's family has debts which are getting dangerous and that she's participating in the Selection to get rid of them." Michael explained.  
"Debts? Sam mentioned that." Rho remembered.  
Michael nodded. "Her family took a credit from the wrong people a while ago and it's been a problem for her the whole time. She just came to the Selection to get money for her family."  
"So, eliminating her stops the access to money she has and gets her family into trouble." Tilly gulped. "I'm sorry."  
"There's nothing to be sorry for." Michael sighed. "She got herself into this, and I don't really want my best friend's ex around any longer. I promise you all, you're out of trouble. I do now believe you – Mayli's a jerk. I'll leave you be – you've got a lesson coming up, don't you?"  
"Bye." Tate waved him off.

Once Michael had left the Women's Room, Silvestre stepped forward – something that silenced all girls.

"Now," She sighed – had she even been told about this? "Onto another topic: with the Halloween Ball being over, there's another announcement I need to make." She paused, but not long enough for the nervous chatter to return. "In a yet undecided amount of time, you all will hold events on your own – charity fundraisers. You will get training on that first, but I recommend you not to wait with forming teams and choosing a charity until the deadline – the end of November. The fundraisers and what happens is mainly up to you," Two of her team members began handing out folders that probably included information on the task. "but we will be here to help. You are to form groups – of any size – and select a charity. With them you are expected to plan an event. What kind of event is completely up to you, but it will be filmed for the report on the Selection."  
The teacher next to her proceeded to discuss a few more things – including time frames, details and no-gos.  
"I hope I don't need to break up any cat fights again." Silvestre ended colder.

Tatiana turned to her friends. "Are we a group?"  
"Absolutely." Rihanna smiled. "Alright – I have heaps of experience on this thanks to Emmy. We need a topic first – like what kind of charity we want to be going for."  
"What kinds are there?" Tilly asked. "I only know animal shelters."  
"I wouldn't mind animal shelters," Rihanna began explaining. "But since Kath has a dog allergy, that might be a bit awkward. What about LGBT?"  
"That sounds nice." Tate nodded. "We could focus on labels that are often being thought to be non-existent, like asexuality and pansexuality." She didn't mention that she was ace, but that would probably come up at some point.

To everyone's surprise, Tilly shook her head. "That's a stupid idea, I'm sorry."  
Kath rose an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked suspicious.  
"Yesterday, when I was following Mayli, I also overheard a conversation between the King, the prime minister, Cecilia, Mayli and Silvestre. Michael was there too. I think that the charity events are a test – the King and the prime minister both are conservative and have a huge dislike for LGBT."  
"I doubt that's the case for mum and Mike though." Rihanna added. "I mean…"  
"Yeah, but Greene is the one pulling the final strings in the Selection." Tilly reminded them. "Who knows – it might be our death sentence and I don't want to risk that."  
Rho leaned back. "As little as I agree with their opinion, Tilly is right. We have this knowledge and should use it."  
"What about mental health?" Africa suggested. Tate bit on her lip – did she need to bring that up?  
"Like what?"  
"Maybe things that are less known?" Africa suggested. "I mean, depression – everyone knows that, but other things."  
"I'd prefer to say mental health in general." Kath claimed. "We need to find a good charity too. I could ask Aubrey – she does a lot of philanthropist work."  
"We could also invite my mother." Africa suggested. "She's popular. You know, to get public attention."  
"Dad too." Tate agreed.  
"I could ask Juli. She's holding a concert in Angeles around the time of the balls – maybe she can come?" Rho suggested. "That reminds me, she-"  
"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" Rihanna jumped up. " _The Juli?!_ Like Juli Hemmings?!" She called out.

The whole Women's Room was looking at them.

Rho blinked. "Uh, yes?"  
"You know her?" Tilly asked equally amazed but less loud.  
"Yes? She's my best friend."  
"Question." Isa rose her hand sarcastic. "Who?"  
"Juli Hemmings!" Rihanna jumped up. "The, like, most awesome singer ever. Have you heard her newest album? The lead track, "Neverland", was awesome. I love it!"  
"So… A popstar?" Isa rose her eyebrow.  
"Yes." Africa nodded. "Juli's cool, and she's going to get us the attention from the teenage fangirls she has."  
"She invited us to her next concert." Rhosyn tried to say – Rihanna jumped again.  
"What? What? What!? I tried to get tickets – it was impossible, even with mum's help!"  
"Well, she told me she'd love for me to invite some of my friends here and-"  
" _We are going_!" Rihanna insisted. "No doubt."

"That's all great and so on," Katherine said, "but shouldn't we focus on the charity event, rather than a concert? Also, Rihanna, please sit down. The others are looking at us."  
Tate chuckled. "Well, public attention we have for sure. Let's plan once the lesson's over." She suggested. The girls agreed.

* . * . *

Maybe, she was drunk.

Okay, probably. Not drunk, but tipsy enough? Isadora played around with the little that was left from her whisky while the loud music of the Goldfinger filled her mind. This was good. No need to deal with the newest disaster.

"Why does it not surprise me to find you here?" Someone blonde – Michael – dropped onto the barstool next to her.  
Isadora rolled her eyes and nipped the last of her whisky. "If you're looking for a new girlfriend," She commented cold, "then I'm not the right one."  
"A new one?" Michael rose his eyebrow and ordered something from the bartender.  
"Mayli's gone." Isadora replied as dry as her now-empty glass. "Who's next?"  
Michael chuckled. "She wasn't my girlfriend."  
"I doubt that."  
"I never loved her." Michael insisted. Isadora sighed. She hadn't come to the Goldfinger for any feelings talk, or to talk about the devil Mayli Yi was. "She's a nice friend, cool to hang out with, not-demanding and people liked her. That's enough to keep Silvestre's team from me."  
"And what did she do then?" Isadora puffed sarcastic. "You didn't seem to believe us. At all."  
"She broke a taboo." Michael answered. "From that on, she was out either way. Might as well believe my best friends rather than strain what we have."  
"Aha." Isadora shrugged. She didn't believe that – even if, Michael then was a hypocrite. He didn't even keep his opinion – he just changed it because it would work better, she thought.  
"So, you're just going with the opinion that fits best?"

Michael didn't respond immediately. The blonde glared at the wall behind the bar, filled with different coloured and shaped bottles of alcohol and other liquids. Nervously, he played with the glass in his hand.  
"Probably." He eventually admitted, less playful than before. "I guess that's why I'm the black sheep."  
Isadora chuckled amused – he couldn't be serious. "Because you're choosing whatever opinion fits you best?"  
"Yes," Michael said, "but not only that. Have you ever seen the news?"  
"I don't follow 'em," Isadora answered, "I guess we both aren't the children our parents would have wanted."  
"I wouldn't say that." Michael leaned against the wooden table. "But yeah, I guess many people would like me to be different."  
"Money, wealth and success won't buy you happiness."  
"Money buys alcohol." Michael took a slip. "That's close enough."  
A dry laugh escaped Isadora's mouth. "Probably."

She paused, dropping the empty glass. Was it though? What had she been doing the last days? Whenever she could, whenever it fit with Jason's calendar, they had been chatting. Geez, what had they even been talking about? She hadn't been in the Goldfinger since…

Probably since the Halloween ball.

"Is something up?" Michael asked.  
"Heh?"  
"You look thoughtful."  
"Just thinking."  
"You don't say." He laughed. "Kinda comes with the 'thoughtful', doesn't it?"

Isadora didn't respond. Michael didn't need to know. She continued to play with the empty glass in her hands. This was… weird. She almost could think… No. That was impossible. She wasn't capable – she wasn't worthy of that, but yet… She shuddered. What the hell was she thinking? Hadn't she learned her lesson with Theo? Apparently not – she couldn't help but blush when thinking of Jason. She couldn't help but feel the same butterflies she had once felt for her ex-boyfriend. She couldn't stop herself from doing exactly what would just kick her back into the dark vortex of despair: fall in love.

Stupid Isa, she thought. Stupid.

She pushed the glass forward. There was no doubt though. She couldn't deny it. It was impossible – too late. If she was to stop now… No. She couldn't.

"I think I like him." Isadora whispered.  
"Who?" Michael rose an eyebrow. "The bartender?"  
"What? No!" Isadora looked at Michael. What was he thinking? The bartender could be her grandfather!  
"Who then?" The prince teased. "Sam? He's the only guy who's been around recently."  
"No, he wasn't."  
"So, uuuh!" Michael laughed. "One of the other girls' family? That sounds interesting. Go for it!"  
"… Isn't that against the Selection rules? Aren't you going for legal actions because Mayli broke the contract with that sugar daddy?"  
Michael shrugged. "The legal team probably will do that, but I am not interested in that. Who is it now? Do I need to interrogate everyone?"

Isadora didn't respond. Did she want him to? No – she wasn't very comfortable with the idea of Michael asking everyone about her love life. That idea was weird.

"No, thanks."  
"Then who is it?"  
"No one."  
"I doubt that."  
"If you keep bugging, I'll never tell."

Isadora rose. She was done here – the evening was unenjoyable without Michael either way. She had better things to spend her time on, even if it was sleeping.

"Bye, your highness." She waved off.

* . * . *

On the same evening, Cecilia Stark looked at the starry sky and sighed.

She _knew_ that the only reason why she was still in the Selection was her name. That wasn't very good. Mayli had been useful, but she had overestimated how much she would help her – Michael was still far too much on Rihanna's side.

"That reminds me…" Cecilia sighed and planed with her phone's charm. "I do have one advantage left, but… That won't help forever."

She turned around, glanced over the charity plans she and her 'friends' had made. Nothing too spectacular. She wasn't too interested in charity events herself, and knew what a disadvantage that was.

"Rihanna's going to be lucky." She thought. "She must have learned from Emilia."

Plus, the whole group around Rihanna and Katherine was full of people with good connections; they knew people who would draw media attention. Cecilia knew politicians, yes, but that wouldn't gain her the attention of her generation.

"There's nothing I can do. I know too little." Cecilia thought. "There has to be some way though… I don't just want to be some prime minister's daughter…"

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Burn**

 **The last chapter's title, "Think Before I Talk", was not a reference to the video on the girls speaking about the late queen.**


	34. Burn

**34**

 **Burn**

 **Trigger Warning: Mention of rape / false accusations of rape**

Cecilia played with the tea cup in her hand.

Greene, on the other side of the table in the prime minister's residence in Los Angeles fiddled with the fork. This was awkward, she thought, but she was glad that Greene didn't seem to notice how she felt about this.

"What did you think about Yi?" Greene asked, cutting the piece of cake very carefully. Overly careful.  
"Too sweet. There had to be _something_." Cecilia insisted. Not exactly the truth – she had believed that Mayli was just a sweet town girl with debts, but at least she was gone.  
"What do you think, what will happen now?"  
"The charity events?"  
Greene nodded. "How many will there be?"  
"Twenty-four girls. I expect 4 to 6, maybe 8. Most of the girls seem to have understood that you need more than one person to plan such an event."  
"What is your group doing?" Greene rose an eyebrow.  
"Cancer research."  
"Boring."  
"You don't say." Cecilia shrugged. "It wasn't my idea; one of the girls' grandma apparently died of cancer or so. I just tagged along."  
"I'm still surprised that you are interested in this."  
"Everyone wants to be a princess, don't we?" Cecilia asked, rolling her eyes.

Greene didn't need to know – he already knew. He knew that Cecilia was somewhat welcome in the party, but that she'd never be the politician her father was.

"You're in to be somebody, not Alexander's daughter." Greene stated. "You will never be as good as your father."  
Cecilia didn't answer immediately. She wouldn't admit defeat to him. "So won't you."  
Greene grimaced. Bingo – she hit the bullseye. "What do you intend to do from now? Lorde don't seem confident that Michael wants to keep you around."

That was indeed an issue, Cecilia knew that. Michael was stubborn. He seemed to like sweethearts – Othilia Joyce and Mayli both fell into that category, and they seemed to be his favourites among the girls, but at the same time, he still was somewhat detached. They had gone on another date, but it was clear that Cecilia was only in because she was Cecilia Stark.

"Do you think he'll scale down soon?" Greene asked.  
"Aren't you the one with the final say?"  
"I'm just curious what you girls know."  
"… Most expect something after the charity event." Cecilia said. "He'll have enough time to have dated each of us again, and then he can make the decision."  
"The King wants a Christmas break."  
Cecilia looked up. "Does he?"  
"The… situation." Greene waved with his fork. Was he trying to signalise something?  
"Situation?"  
"The recent developments in you-know-what."  
"What?"  
Greene sighed annoyed. "You're stupid, Cecilia."

" **Pardon me**?!"  
Greene named four syllables looking aside. They _did_ make sense, and Cecilia did understand what he meant, but the insult hadn't been 'nice'. She was Alexander Stark's daughter – she wasn't stupid!  
"It's planned for Christmas. The royal family will retreat to their residence in Lakedon, presumably alongside a few friends."  
"Meaning the two Lordes and Michael's guy friend."  
"No, he isn't expected to come along." Greene shrugged. "I don't understand why he is keeping him around – the position should be free for a true Illéan, not an immigrant."  
"Agreed." Cecilia sighed. "Do you think he will invite one of the Selected?"  
"If that was to happen," Greene sighed. "I hope he doesn't. It'll just make people want the Selection to end."  
"They do want a royal wedding."  
"I want someone to keep them distracted from the worsening exports. Germany, France, Britain – they are taking us over. Fast, very fast."  
Cecilia nodded disinterested. Economics was boring in her opinion. Nothing she could care about too much – too many numbers, too many things to consider.  
"What about the Red Herring?"  
"Nothing new. The intelligence services are useless." Greene complained. "Just an attack in Miami and people complaining."  
"What do you intend to do now?" Cecilia laughed. "Have Michael kiss someone in front of the cameras in the hope that it'll distract them? That's pathetic."  
"The Crown Prince's public image is bad enough, yes." Greene nodded. "Maybe have him and some girls visit the survivors."  
"Please, he'll screw that up."  
"Probably."  
"What about the last case?"  
"The one from February?" Greene asked. "That girl admitted that she just accused Michael of raping her for the press attention – he's fine with that."  
"With how often it has happened, you'd wonder if it isn't true." Cecilia thought aloud.  
"It isn't." Greene shook his head. "Your father was concerned about that too and had the intelligence services follow him. Nothing. He hasn't touched a girl in the last four years – unless it's the Lorde brat, and considering her faithfulness to the prince and princess, I doubt that."  
"Did he?" Cecilia asked surprised. "Why hasn't there ever been a statement on it?"  
Greene shrugged. "Not the government's problem. For all we know, he's not even trying to get laid."  
"Do you think he and Lorde are a thing?"  
Greene paused. "I don't know."

* . * . *

Tilly leaned backwards into the sofa of Africa's sitting room. The girls were sorting through charity organisations, reading reports and all – very prepared and all, Kath and Rho insisted, but Tilly couldn't help but feel tired.

She had woken up extra early to go and walk Mr Serious, and maybe run into Michael, but between now and the Halloween Ball, not once, she had the chance. Asking him when he walked Flora and Rock sounded like a pathetic excuse too, so she wasn't going to ask anytime soon.

Plus, she couldn't help but remember Michael standing by quietly while Richard and Greene were talking down people.

"Hey, Rihanna?" Tilly looked up. "What is Michael's opinion on LGBT?"  
"Huh?" Rihanna blushed. "What?"  
"What is Michael's opinion on LGBT?" Tilly repeated.  
"I… I don't know, actually." Rihanna sat up. "Well, I kind of do. I know that Emmy is fully pro LGBT."  
"But Michael?" Tilly repeated.  
"I couldn't picture him to be homophobic," Rihanna explained. "but he avoids the topic a lot"  
"Why?" Kath asked wary.  
"Stark, Greene, Greene's party and the King are homophobic as," Rihanna explained. "He probably doesn't want to deal with them _as well_. He already has enough to deal with the press."

"Do you know about the case that was in the news today?" Tatiana asked.  
Rihanna nodded. "The one that accused Mike of being a rapist? Lemme say it like this – there's a reason I tease him with being a virgin. Against public opinion, I doubt he ever had a girlfriend."  
"There's a difference between-" Africa began speaking.  
"I know, I know." Rihanna waved it off. "What I'm trying to say is that everyone has a terribly wrong perception of him. He goes drinking a lot, and yes, he talks to girls, but from what Emmy and I know, he's never been with anyone or so."  
"He maybe just didn't tell you guys though." Rho remarked. "Jason doesn't tell me every detail of his life too."  
"I still doubt it. And, yes, these accusations are false. Let alone because it was on my birthday party and we four were out camping. He would have needed to get back to Los Angeles and back to our campsite, in _Lakedon_ , in the nine hours we were asleep."  
"That's good to know." Tatiana remarked relieved.

"What about his opinion on LGBT though?" Tilly repeated.  
"Well, I'm bisexual, and I'm fairly sure that Mike knows that." Rihanna shrugged. "Never heard him say anything."  
"Wait, you are?"  
"Yeah." Rihanna shrugged. "You didn't know? Well, now you do. Don't tell the public, or mum, or the King. I don't wanna be thrown out."  
"What about your mother's opinion?" Kath asked.  
"Mum's fully supportive, but I feel like if she knew, she'd stop me from having sleepovers with Emmy." Rihanna paused. "I dunno why, but she's incredibly keen in making sure I don't date Mike."  
"She _is_ your mother." Tatiana thought aloud.  
"I've dated other people though. She's really weird about this. Probably because Charlotte was like a sister to her."

The conversation went on about the ridiculous things, Silvestre (and Charlotte, apparently) had set in action to prevent Rihanna and Michael from dating, but Tilly didn't listen. From how Rihanna sounded, Michael wasn't anti-LGBT or anything, he was just afraid of getting into even more bad luck than he already was.

That was relieving – somewhat.

"Are you all prepared for the concert, by the way?" Africa asked. "Because I need to go shopping tomorrow."  
"I'm not coming." Isadora answered.  
"You aren't?" Rhosyn turned to her. "Why?"  
"I… have… another… appointment."  
"… What did I miss." Rihanna turned around. "Tell me."  
"No. Why should I?" Isadora looked to Rihanna as if she had told her that earth was flat.  
"Because… I'm your friend?" Rihanna's smile was larger than her face.  
"No, you aren't." Isadora shook her head and returned to her phone.

"Burned." Africa narrated.

* . * . *

Juli Hemming's concert was advertised all over Los Angeles. The popstar was popular enough to fill the largest stadium, and sell it out in a matter of minutes. Juli was, however, also a childhood friend of Rhosyn – probably the only one she had that she was still in touch with. Michael immediately had been keen to join the others for the concert, meaning that they were a total of seven attending the concert.

Juli's music wasn't really Rho's taste but she always supported her friend. If she loved singing so much, she had all right to make music. The concert itself was a success, but the eight didn't have a chance to go and see the singer until at the afterparty.

The afterparty of the concert was, no doubt, an exclusive event hosted in a night club. Rhosyn remained sober – unlike most others – and hold herself back from the crowd of friends of the singer, and the friends' friends.

"Rho!" Juli smiled brightly. "I haven't seen you in ages."  
"So have I though." Rho embraced her friend happily. "How are you doing?"  
"Awesome." Juli grinned. "I mean, the album's charting great, the tour is sold out and the Crown Prince is at my afterparty!" She glanced to the blonde prince who was talking to Rihanna and Tilly, all of them definitely tipsy. "I am so jealous that I didn't get in…" Juli sighed.

Juli lived in Angeles. Rihanna had gotten the spot she might had gotten otherwise, Rho concluded. Probably better though – Juli couldn't give up her career, as much as she had a crush on the prince. For whatever reason that was the case.

"Tell me about him." She insisted dreamy. "You've gone on a date with him, haven't you?"  
"Well, not really." Rho chuckled. "He knows that I'm not interested."  
"Huh?"  
"He needed an excuse to visit his sister at the hospital." Rho explained. "And since Jason and dad both work there, and he knew that I wasn't too keen on the Selection, we called it a date and were done with it."  
"He hasn't eliminated you yet though!"  
"I doubt that that's his decision." Rho remembered the Halloween ball.  
"Yes, but he's cute. You have to try, Rho."  
"Juli, I-" Rho sighed. This was hopeless.  
"So, on another hand – side of the cute prince, are these your friends?"  
Rho nodded vaguely. "Rihanna, Tilly, Tate, Kath, Africa, and there's also Isa, but she didn't come."  
Juli rose an eyebrow. "Oh, why?"  
"I dunno. She had other plans, apparently." Rho shrugged.  
"Well, I'm going to try my luck now." Juli stood up.  
"Your luck in what?"  
"Getting the prince – I might not be a Selected, but…" Juli grinned.

Rhosyn shrugged. It was Juli's decision. She watched the singer walk to Rihanna, Tilly and Michael, before sighing. She couldn't let Juli go alone – if it was just for the sake of watching the upcoming conversation.

"Mind if I join you?" Juli smiled happily.  
"Sure, come on!" Rihanna giggled. "We were just talking about your concert. It was incredible."  
"Thank you." Juli smiled. "What did you think?" She asked Michael.  
"I agree." He smiled politely.

Did Michael know that Juli had that infamous crush on him? His smile looked forced, yes, but that was pretty much a compliment, wasn't it? Then again, he did have twenty-four girls trying to get him to _marry_ them…

Juli did look awesome though, and she was fun to have around. Michael didn't react to her flirting though – maybe he already had someone he actually liked more than he wanted to admit, Rho thought as the conversation went on.

Rihanna and Juli befriended within seconds, Michael remained friendly and polite but distant. Tilly stood up and walked off. Right – she liked Michael too, Rho remembered. She probably didn't like the popstar making advances on him.

"Tilly, are you alright?" Rho asked.  
"I'm fine." Tilly nodded, biting her lip.  
Rho rose an eyebrow. "You sure?"  
"I… Juli isn't a Selected. Why is she flirting with Michael?"  
"Because she's got that hopeless crush and the idea of becoming a Disney princess." Rho shrugged. "I doubt that she'd like it that much if she learned about protocol and all – in Juli's opinion, to be a Disney princess, you got to be able to sing,"  
"Which she can, yeah."  
"and get along with animals. Juli is fine with them, if it wasn't for dogs."  
"Then she's got-"  
"No chance." Rho interrupted her and nodded. "I tried telling her that ages ago, but I gave up. Don't worry 'bout Juli; her crush is as serious as her crush on Edward Cullen when she was fourteen."  
"… Oh."  
"So, you don't need to worry about Juli being a rival." Rho summarised.

Rho sat back, letting Tilly rejoin the conversation. Lucky her – she _wanted_ to be in the Selection. Rhosyn sighed. Maybe she _could_ just ask Michael to 'eliminate' her and say that they just didn't get along at all, in the next elimination?

What was she going to do the whole year though? The next classes she needed to take would only begin in summer, and that was more than half a year away. With Mayli gone, she probably could come to enjoy here time here? Make some sort of deal with Michael?

She'd talk to him about that later, Rho decided. When he was sober.

* . * . *

Isadora was blushing. Seriously blushing. Hopefully, the foundation would cover that, she thought will taking a bite from the luxurious dinner she was eating.

Jason had style – the penthouse restaurant overlooking the city was beautiful, reserved for elite, and allowed them privacy. This was just a meeting between friends, they said, but somehow, it wasn't. They both had known it when he came and picked her up at the palace.

"Have you been here before?" Jason asked curious. It was clear that he wanted to impress Isadora – despite his clothes, he looked out of place.  
"A few times, probably." Isadora admitted. How was she going to tell him that she didn't care how much money he'd spend on their shared dinner? Saying it outright seemed mean – he clearly had put thoughts and energy into this. Isa appreciated it, yes, but she didn't want to be the same as Katerina. She didn't want to use him. She wasn't going to.  
"That's… amazing."  
Isadora chuckled. "It's my father's money, and I honestly don't care. I would have been fine with getting McDonalds too."  
"But you do look beautiful. That alone was it worth."

Jason was right – Isadora's long black dress looked beautiful. It reminded her of the Halloween ball dress she had chosen, but it had its own charm. Jason in his semi-formal suit next to her looked a bit out of place – as if he had expected a semi-formal dinner and Isadora a red-carpet event.

Maybe that was why she thought he looked cute.

"Thank you." She smiled. "How's the whole process going?"  
Jason sighed. "Pretty well, going by the lawyer, mum organised. It's pretty exhausting, but I… I guess I'm glad it's happening."  
"Katerina's a bitch."  
"You don't say." The divorce was coming, and he clearly couldn't wait for it. He had just talked about how glad he was to stop working so much – it was a dream coming true. Not that he seemed to dislike his job, but he clearly had had no time to do anything _but_ work.  
"Are you joining us for the charity event?" Isadora asked curious. "We've got a few plans by now, I think."  
"I guess that Rho will pull me along, so sure." Jason smiled. "Will you talk?"  
Isadora sighed. "I might… I was thinking about talking about somethings, but it'll probably backlash."  
"Such as?"  
"Expectations by parents and so on."  
"I think it would be a good idea." Jason spoke, making Isadora smile. "You have my support for sure."  
"Thank you." Isadora smiled. This was hopeless, she thought. She genuinely liked him.  
"If you need anything, I can try to help."  
"I do think I will be fairly alright on my own." Isadora answered. "But let's not talk about the Selection. That sounds like work."  
"… Do you want to marry him? The prince, I mean."  
Isadora shook her head. "He's alright, but no one I'd fall in love with.

The relief in Jason's face made her realisation that maybe, she wasn't the only one hopeless.

* . * . *

In the next morning, Rhosyn texted Michael and asked him to briefly meet before she'd join her friends for breakfast. The prince was accompanied by the two happy dogs again.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.  
"You know about my parents holding my career hostage, don't you?"  
"Yes." Michael nodded.  
"And you probably concluded that I'm not interested in you."  
Michael nodded again. "I'm not stupid, yes. Do you want to make up a lie so you can leave in good graces?"  
"Yes, and no." Rhosyn paused. "There's nothing for me to do until the classes I need to take start again in summer, and if I leave, my family's just going to pull me into some stupid 'social season' gatherings."  
"Ouch. I know that feeling."  
"I know that Rihanna is Selected to basically occupy a slot."  
"… Yes." Michael began to grin. "Are you suggesting to continue having fake dates so I need to bother with less girls?"  
"Yep."  
"We have a deal, Raisin."

* . * . *

 **Author's Note**

 **Michael being accused of having raped girls has been mentioned before, but it's definitely not true. I do not support anything like that.**

 **Also, Discord people know what Rihanna meant haha. :) Come and join us, we're fun.**


	35. Honestly

**35**

 **Honestly**

 **Trigger Warning: Mention of past self-harm and suicidal intentions**

"You are dating."

Tatiana, dressed in a purple long dress and Africa, also dressed in another purple dress, stood at the entrance of the Great Hall of the Angeles Palace. The Great Hall hadn't been too much decorated – the girls had decided that they wanted to spend as little of the budget they had been given on the event itself and rather try to get as much money for their chosen charity as possible.

Alina Oaks and Wallis Loveren both avoided their children's surprised eyes.

"How… come?" Africa asked.  
"Oh, we just hadn't met each other in forever, and decided to stay in contact, and it's been over a month where we just kept in touch and…" Wallis blushed.

Tatiana couldn't help but stay back. There had been rumours, yes, but learning that her father and Africa's mother were genuinely dating sounded about as far away as Tatiana suddenly deciding to become a doctor.

"Seriously?" She asked.  
"Yeah." Alina smiled.

Tatiana slowly turned to Africa who mirrored the same. This was weird. Awkward. They hadn't expected this – at all, ultimately. Africa slowly turned her head back to their parents.

"And… you were going to randomly mention this today?" Tatiana asked.  
"It's not mentioned randomly." Wallis insisted.  
"You could have texted us?" Africa suggested. "You know, we're hosting this event – we're sort of busy and can't deal with the news that my newest friend's dad is dating my mum. I mean – do what you want, but, you know, don't drop a bomb like this out of the nowhere."  
"I agree." Tate slowly said. "Africa and I need to go now – we have work to do, but we'll see you later."

A lie Tatiana had made up, but the two definitely needed to discuss this. She pulled Africa, who had taken the hint, along until reaching a quieter corner. The girls had used all their contacts to get an impressive guest list together – going by Rihanna, Silvestre's team expected most from them.

"What did just happen?" Tatiana asked.  
"I have no idea," Africa answered, "but honestly? It's pretty much expectable from mum by now."  
"I know that Alina seems to be with a new guy every week," Tatiana extravagated, "but if they've been meeting, per se dating, for a month, then it might be different?"  
Africa sighed. "I certainly hope so. I would nice for her – it's been forever since dad died."  
"I don't mind dad dating her either, it's just…"  
"weird?" Africa laughed.  
Tatiana nodded. "And it's coming out of the nowhere. I don't know what to think."  
"Well, then we are two."

* . * . *

Rhosyn smiled when Jason and Nazar greeted each other almost like old friends. They had met once, but both seemed to be fine with considering each other as a friend. The two both were older brothers of two Selected, so they had at least one thing in common.

Next to Rho stood Isadora in a beautiful ballgown in rosé with flower pattern. Next to her, Rhosyn's dark green dress seemed boring, but the brunette didn't mind. Isadora could gladly take the attention away from her.

"Now, Jason," Nazar said, "we do need to talk though."  
"About what?" Rho's brother asked confused.  
"Fairly simple – don't break my sister's heart."  
"Your sister's heart?" Rhosyn repeated. What in the world was he talking about? Why would Jason break Isadora's heart?  
"We…. Uh… This awkward." Jason ruffled through his hair. He avoided his sister's eyes. "Isa and I…"  
"When you guys went to the concert, we went on a date." Isadora casually explained.  
"Did you?" Rho asked.

What in the world was that? Hadn't Isadora called Jason manipulative when they first met? Even if Jason mentioned that they spent the morning together before the Halloween ball - what?

"It was just one evening, Raisin." Isadora sighed.  
"What about the Selection though?"  
"I never was interested in Michael in the first place."  
"You did sign a contract…" Nazar reminded her.  
Isadora shrugged disinterested. "It's not like dad couldn't afford to pay the-"  
"That's not the point…" Rho sighed.

Jason could date whoever he wanted, Rho believed, but she couldn't help but remain wary of Isadora. She had shown attitude problems more than once, and Rhosyn didn't want him to end up with Katerina 2.0

Considering the way Jason looked at the blonde lady, she had the feeling that even if she warned him, she wouldn't have much of a chance though.

"I am fine, as long as Isadora is happy." Nazar repeated. "But, yes, do keep it low profile."  
"You're talking as if we were planning to be married." Jason remarked – the respect he was holding for Nazar was clearly there though. "We just met for dinner…"  
"I agree, Nazar, we'll be fine." Isadora sided with Jason.

The older Bonovich child looked surprised. Was this normal? Probably not, considering how he reacted. Isadora and Nazar seemed close, so she probably tended to side with him, huh? Were the two serious?

"Do me the favour and don't tell anyone though, Raisin." Isadora remarked. "I don't want Jason to be bothered with even more press attention."  
"Alright…?" What else of a choice had she? She didn't want Jason to stand in the limelight again either – he clearly wasn't comfortable with it. And if he liked Isadora…

* . * . *

The girls had invited various guest speakers. On Katherine's side, only her parents and sister-in-law, who had been in Los Angeles either way, had visited while Tilly's mother was the only one visiting from her family. As a joke, Rihanna had invited Silvestre.

After opening the evening and handing the word to the spokesperson, being elected to do so due to her 'experience' (aka tagging along with Emmy), Rihanna rejoined her mother.  
"You picked a good friend group." Silvestre chuckled.  
"Stuff happens if you attend a rich kid's boarding school."  
"If this is a contest, then you guys win."  
"Is it?"  
"I doubt Michael cares about charity _that_ much."  
"I was considering suggesting animal shelters." Rihanna remembered.  
"Why didn't you?"  
"Sam told me not to."  
"Did he?" Silvestre looked to her daughter surprised. "Why?"  
"'Don't take the one thing he has without press stalkers away.', he said." Rihanna quoted.  
"That does…. That does sound somewhat logical." The older woman nodded. "He would have been much more engaged than he is today. People might notice." She paused. "It could have been misunderstood as being related to you girls though."  
"I'm sure if you want to host an animal charity event, he's in." Rihanna rolled her eyes. "I can't turn back time, you know."

Tatiana's time to speak came, and alongside the polite applause of the high-profile guests, and she rose from her seat nearby her friends with grace. Rihanna, knowing what Tatiana intended to talk about, leaned forward curious.

"Good evening." Tatiana greeted the crowd. "I doubt that I can match up to our previous speaker, but I will certainly give my best. My name is Tatiana Loveren. I lived in Paloma alongside my father. My parents are divorced – my mother lives here in Los Angeles – and my sister moves back and forth a lot. It's an old story everyone of you probably knows."

"But that's not primarily what I want to talk about today. Today's topic is mental health, and that's something that I deal with too, indirectly. I have a bipolar personality disorder." She paused. "That doesn't mean that I am insane, or anything, but that there is a pattern in my feelings and behaviours that seem appropriate and justified to me when I experience them, but they cause me a great deal of trouble. My mood can shift between a very manic state and a very depressive state, and go on for a while like that. Fortunately, in the months of the Selection, I've been in a more stable state the whole time."

"When I tell people about my disorder, the usually think "Are you insane?" and that I'm switching between moods every five seconds. Spoiler alert – I don't. Usually, at least. I also am often asked whenever the disorder is a result of a traumatic event or anything, but it isn't. Bipolar disorders are usually rooted in genetics and family history, in brain structure and functioning."

"It's not that it can't be treated or anything – I've got medicine, and it helps to stabilise my mood. Yes, there are side effects, but it works." She paused. "I figured this out through the internet. This is, by far, not the best way to learn about your mental health, but it was a start for me. What is important to know that this illness can be treated and those who have it, need proper treatment."

"I've kept very silent about that disorder – primarily because of reactions I got." She proceeded to tell about stories. "I remember that recently, when someone uploaded a video of me making a comment that was taken out of context, my younger sister said that it was just because of the disorder – false." She proceeded to talk more about cases in which it was, in fact, the disorder, and when it wasn't, before finishing.

"I hope that I can encourage you to not judge people based on those disorders but rather to think about why they might did something. Thank you for you attention." Tatiana smiled as the listening audience applauded again.

Following her, Isadora took the mic with equal grace but more force. The blonde paused a moment, before beginning to speak up as well. "Good evening. My name is Isadora Bonovich, as you might know by now. It wasn't originally my idea to talk here today, but a good friend," She smiled towards Jason, Nazar, Rho and her own seat. "convinced me to do so otherwise."

That surprised Rihanna – she hadn't expected Isadora to call Rhosyn a friend. Little did she know how wrong she was.

"I don't think I had a very happy childhood. Yes, I admit, my problems weren't hunger, homelessness or homophobia, but that doesn't change the fact that all children deserve to be loved. For the majority of my childhood, I never felt so." The hall was silent.

"As you might have noticed, I elected not to extend an invitation to the majority of my family. Only my brother has come today, and that isn't because they didn't have time. I don't want to see them, and if my mother already believed it to be such a good idea for me to be here, then she might as well let me be at peace, here."

"As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a ballerina. As long as I can remember, I begged my parents to let me take ballet classes." She paused. "Not once in my life, my mother allowed me to set a step into a ballet school. I did, on my own – yes, but she never allowed me. It's not proper for a woman of your status, she'd say. I was five."

"It's weird to think about it – if my mother had been worried about careers, I could understand it. Being successful as a ballerina isn't easy, but she is an actress. The chance of becoming a Hollywood star isn't much bigger, isn't it? In comparison to me, my twin brother always was her darling. 'Be like Anton', they'd say. Study. Connect. Don't watch these old video clips of ballerinas, do something useful for the family."

"The only one who was there for me was my older brother, but he wouldn't stay forever. For the sake of the family, my parents made him go abroad to study – leaving me all alone. I can promise you, that isn't good for anyone's mental health."

"Ever since I was fourteen, I've dealt with depression and anxiety. Because of that – ultimately, no matter how nicely the therapist put it, it was child neglect. Now look at my family's public image. A brilliant investor. An amazing actress. A successful attorney. A promising prodigy. If anything, I am the black sheep in my family. If anything, I am the daughter that doesn't appreciate what her parents are doing for her. If anything, I'm a family disappointment."

"Guess what – my family disappointed me. Family should be a source of love and happiness. People you can go to if you feel terrible. Not once, I felt like I could tell my mother that I felt like I wanted to kill myself. Not once, I felt like I could show my father the cuts I inflicted on myself. Neve ever would my twin understand my nightmares."

"It feels weird to talk about this – maybe just because I've never done that before, at least not to strangers. What I want you to take away today is to think twice. I am a victim, just as much as my family probably is. I am ruining their reputation, they are ruining my mental health. No one is a hero. It's more a question of what is disposable and what isn't." She ended and left without any further word. Rihanna clapped, albeit surprised.

* . * . *

In the following evening, punctual at nine o'clock in Clermont, Victor Bonovich read the news at dinner, Isadora assumed, considering the fact that five minutes past nine, her phone rung.

"Yes?" She picked it up, answering in her native Ukrainian.  
"What. In. The. World. Are. You. Thinking."  
"Right now?" Isadora asked snarky. She had expected this. Alongside her friends, she was sitting in Africa's room – the girls were chatting about the successful event, with Isadora sitting in the background. She rose. "Whenever I should paint my nails black or golden." She lied. It didn't make a difference either way.  
"Do you have any idea how much damage this will do to the company?"  
"No." Isadora answered cut.

Victor Bonovich proceeded to explain, including very detailed numbers the blonde couldn't care less about. Bored and not actually listening, she wandered through the empty hallways of the palace. Another group had planned an event for the morning, meaning most girls were probably asleep. Whatever.

"Do you understand?"  
"No, I failed economics."

For once, it didn't hurt. Maybe because Jason, Katerina and Rhosyn's situation had encouraged her to stand up to her parents in a way that wasn't just 'an annoying inconvenience' but proving that she had power on her own.

"Yelyzaveta!"

Maybe listening to her father's angry voice was even something she could almost enjoy. He hadn't expected her to do _anything_. Even if Alexandria Bonovich hoped that her daughter would win the prince's heart and become a princess, Victor probably wouldn't have been interested. All he cared about was his company either way.

"Yes, yes, yes."  
"Did you even listen to me?"  
"No." She admitted playfully.

Another rant that Isadora didn't listen to. This was destroying their career and business, blabla. This was just a lie, blabla. It was strange that her father _now_ payed attention – only when she destroyed his business plans. But hey, knowing how the world worked, it wasn't going to be much different either way – people maybe were outraged and so on, but people would still buy his technology.

"You're coming home now. You've done more than enough damage."  
"Impossible." Isadora reminded him. "I can't leave unless Michael throws me out."

Maybe she could tell Michael about herself and Jason? Her parents most certainly wouldn't let her stay in Los Angeles just because she liked someone. They probably would want to keep her under control again, but how even could they? If she told him about herself and Jason, she could stay in Los Angeles, pretend to be in the Selection but would be able to meet with him more?

"This was a terrible idea."  
"Complains go do my dear mother." Isadora hummed.

That idea was good. Michael (hopefully) wasn't interested in Isadora, and their dates until now had consisted of nothing but going to the night club together. They could continue that, and if anyone noticed her and Jason, Isadora was sure that they could come up with an excuse. Maybe they were planning a secret birthday party for Rhosyn or something.

"You need to change your attitude."  
"Noted." Isadora answered. As if, she thought. He needed to.  
"This can't go on like that – what do you think will happen with your life if you continue like this?"

Probably nothing good. Isadora knew that there wasn't going to be anything good coming for her. She wasn't a good student and would probably fail in university. The only thing her parents expected from her was to marry someone rich and of good status by now, and Isadora had come to the conclusion that about all rich boys were annoying snobs.

Okay, maybe not all – Michael wasn't annoying, but he was out of question. Long story short, there wasn't anything planned for the blonde's future aside of drinking her sorrow out in alcohol. Probably something that'd be the only thing happening. She had no plans, and wasn't going to make any anytime soon.

Her parents wouldn't let her date Jason for longer than a few months either way. He wasn't upper class enough for that…

"I die from alcohol intoxication, maybe?" Isadora spoke empty. "That'd be one less problem for you."  
"Yelyzaveta…"  
"Wouldn't it?" She laughed ironic. "Mum wouldn't need to deal with the black sheep anymore. You'd just have pretty perfect Anton to take care of. Nazar would stop bothering with me so much."

She glared at the dark smartphone screen and sighed. This was hopeless. She hit the red 'end the call' button and stored her phone in her purse. By now, she had come to reach the entrance hall. Subconsciously, she probably had been heading for the Goldfinger.

That sounded like a good idea now.

She felt bad – empty – and sad again. She needed something to fill it, and going by her experience, alcohol was among the best things to help.  
"Hey, Isadora." Michael called from behind.  
Isadora turned around. "Hmm?"  
"Heading out?"  
"Yeah. You?"  
"I was coming by and had a in-the-moment decision that I'll go out too."  
"Where are your bodyguards?" Isadora asked, rising one eyebrow. They had always been with him when the group, or just the two, went out clubbing.  
"I'm sure I'll cope for one night alone." Michael laughed. Whatever, Isadora shrugged. "Since we both will head the same way, do you want to go together?"  
Isadora shrugged. "I guess it won't make much of a difference."

They walked together, chatting about the charity event, the other planned ones and what they'd do for Christmas. Isadora planned to stay in Los Angeles. She did bring up her father, but not yet Jason. She wanted to talk this through with him first. What if he really just saw it as a one-time thing, nothing serious? She didn't want to risk that happening. She did enjoy her time though, Michael was a good friend to talk to.

That was, until suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, pushed something wet in front of her face and stopped her from screaming. _What in the world? What was happening?_ Her heart raced. _Who was that?_ Seconds later, the dark overtook her mind.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Next Chapter:** You Want My Sister


	36. You Want My Sister

**36**

 **You Want My Sister**

Katherine took her usual seat in the Women's Room. Following the charity event planned by the group of which Cecilia was part, all girls were exhausted and glad to hear that lunch would happen before the lessons. Now that lunch was over though, class was expected to start soon.

"We should check on Isa and Rihanna later on," Rho said, "I haven't seen them all day."  
"That sounds like a good idea," Tilly agreed.  
"They didn't strike me as sick yesterday…" Tatiana remembered.  
"Why would they sit out otherwise though?" Kath asked, "I doubt that Silvestre would allow Rihanna that."  
"That's the only logic error in the whole story," Africa said. "Silvestre wouldn't allow that."  
"Plus, Michael is also sick, and I doubt that Silvestre would let him dodge his responsibilities." Rho reminded them. "They probably just caught something yesterday evening."

Katherine nodded. Hat did sound realistic. She was glad to know that the charity events were over. Everyone had done nice things, but it had been stressful to organise everything. That reminded her, weren't they going to get to her something about them? Maybe tomorrow, so the staff had time to analyse them? That sounded realistic, she thought.

"Guys, look." Tilly showed the girls her phone. "There are new popularity rankings."  
"Show me!" Africa insisted. "I already forgot the last one."  
"From what I remember," Tilly said, "You were eleventh. Cecilia was first, Mayli third. Rihanna was seventh, Tate twelth and I was twenty-first. Kath was on thirtieth and Rho was on twenty-eight. Isa was thirty-fifth."  
"You remembered that all?" Kath asked surprised. "Wow!"

It wasn't that much of a surprise. Out of all the girls, Tilly cared most about winning the Selection. Kath smiled. Tilly probably would be the best choice out of the group – she and Michael did share quite a few hobbies. Plus, most of them had messed up something somehow by now.

"Tell us!" Tate encouraged her. "What did change?"  
"Alright…" Tilly paused. "This isn't just popularity, but more a ranking of how the blog expects the chances of each girl, ranked."  
"Don't keep us on the tenterhooks," Rho insisted, "I'm curious too."  
Tilly nodded. "Let's see… Cecilia went down to eight. People don't see any chemistry between them."  
"I hope so." Kath mumbled.  
"I agree." Africa nodded. "I think everyone wouldn't want her to get any further than she has to. Why is she fifth though?"  
"The King and her father got along very well, so people seem to expect the same from them," Tilly explained.  
"They don't. Not from what I've seen," Tate remembered.  
"Then there's Rihanna on third place – she's moved up," Tilly read out, "Mainly because of her closeness and so on, apparently. The photos the public has from their dates seemed good too."  
"But she isn't really going for the win," Kath reminded them.  
"Then… Africa's up to ninth. Nothing has changed for her – the other rankings changing affected her moving up," Tilly explained, "Then there's Tate on fourteenth. She moved down because of the video and people questioning her fitness to be queen."  
Next to Tilly, Tatiana sighed. "You're kidding me."  
"Well, it's not the public choosing," Africa reminded her friendly, "Sam emphasized multiple times that he doesn't care about it."  
"Right…" She sighed.  
"Kath is on number twenty while Rho is on number nineteen."  
"So we've still in the back?" Kath asked.

It was frustrating. Kath was too used to be among the best - being so far down the ranking wasn't good for her pride. She wanted to be higher. Even if the ranking clearly lacked any insider information – otherwise, Rihanna wouldn't have so good chances to win – she couldn't help but feel insulted.

"I don't mind." Rho chuckled. "I made a deal with Michael."  
"A deal?" Kath asked surprised.  
"Like Rihanna – I stay in the Selection as long as he needs fillers, and I get to stay away from my parents' obsession with socialising and so on. I just need to pass the time until I can start uni again."  
"That's nice for you." Africa smiled.  
"What about you and Isadora?" Tate asked Tilly.  
"Isa's on seven, because of the similarities between her and Michael. Both are considered to be the black sheep, and both like clubbing a lot."  
"That makes sense." Kath nodded.  
"What about you?"  
Tilly smiled. "First." She grinned.  
"That's great!" Tate hugged the brunette.

Kath smiled too. That was good – she was fairly sure that this wouldn't just be good for Tilly's confidence but also make her stand out more. The brunette seemed quite pleased with the ranking. Kath opened it on her own phone to read through all of the twenty-four girls. Most people still remembered that Tilly had been chosen as best dressed on the Halloween ball, and people remarked that they seemed to get along well – especially since Tilly's dog seemed very welcome.

"Please, as if she'd ever get into the Elite." Kath heard Cecilia comment to another Selected behind them. The group around Cecilia Stark was also on their phones – they probably found the ranking too. "She has no idea of how to behave properly – she'd be a disaster for the court." Cecilia commented. "I've seen her with her dog, eating. She occasionally feeds him! That girl's obsession with her dog is unhealthy."  
"I agree." The other girl – Kath had forgotten her name – agreed quickly. Probably more to gain the blonde's favour. "Her style too."  
"Don't get me started on it. Absolutely inappropriate for court life – she looks like five years old."

Enough of that, Kath though and rose. "Well, at least she's not overdressed for a casual meeting."  
"Honey," Cecilia said to Kath without even turning her feet, "if you knew anything about adult life, then you'd know that I was more appropriately dressed than you are." She pointed to Kath's Ravenclaw t-shirt.  
"Rihanna once appeared in pyjamas," Tate said behind her, "You didn't bash her for that."  
"…" Cecilia thought for a moment. "Rihanna is, obviously, in an entirely different situation. She could rob a bank and nothing would matter, as long as her mother is in charge of the Selection."  
"Do remind me to ask Michael on his opinion of Tilly's clothes," Africa hissed towards Cecilia, "because I'm fairly sure that he doesn't care."

Cecilia was terrible, Kath thought. How could she say that if she knew that Tilly was within reach? How in the world had Michael not already thrown her out for that? The way she talked with others almost was bullying – terrible.

Tilly seemed surprisingly calm though – the brunette hadn't stood up – unlike Kath, Africa and Tate – and just neatly folded her hands on her lap. She seemed to be thinking.  
"Don't take her serious." Kath told the younger girl.  
"It's… fine." Tilly answered with hesitation. "Cecilia, would you mind repeating that? You said that my clothing style is inappropriate, as well as Mr Serious? What about Rock and Flora?"  
Cecilia was dumbfounded by Tilly's polite questions. Kath couldn't help but smile – even if she didn't want Tilly to take the critique seriously, seeing her listening to it and encouraging Cecilia to elaborate was ridiculous. Especially considering the fact that Tilly's posture right now was perfect.

"I…" Cecilia groaned and walked off, saying something along the lines of "Unbelievable."  
"You're unbelievable." Kath hissed.

Once she was gone, Katherine slowly sat down – clearly still angry at the whole situation. Unbelievable, she thought. Tilly remained composed and calm though.  
"Are you sure that you're alright?" Tate asked equally worried as Kath was.  
Tilly nodded. "I mean…" She looked down. "Cecilia probably has a point."  
"The dogs aren't a point." Tate placed her hand on her shoulder. "Seriously – Michael's probably spending more time with the dogs than with us all girls combined."  
"But I do lack the court behaviour a princess should have…"  
"Look at Michael." Africa shrugged. "I doubt that the standards are that high. Cecilia just wants to play important – she's jealous."

* . * . *

"That is it for today." Today's teacher ended.

Just in a normal high school class, most girls were already collecting whatever they had bought with them and were half on the way out. From what Tilly knew, no one had a date planned with the sick prince today. Maybe she could go and visit him? No – the fourth floor was off limits for the girls (sans Rihanna, who walked in and out as if she lived her…) and even if, she probably just would make it worse. Maybe she could offer to walk Rock and Flora though? That'd be sweet, she thought.

"Before you go, please wait a moment. There is an announcement – I am sure it won't take long."

Tilly had been among the girls to already be standing – Mr Serious was waiting for her – but she sat down again. Confused, the brunette looked around herself. None of the twenty-four girls seemed to have an idea why exactly they were asked to stay. It was too early to hear the results of the charity events…

An elimination? But why now – wasn't Michael sick?

"Do you think it's another elimination?" Tilly asked her friends quietly.  
"… I mean, the timing would make sense. We're leaving on the next Monday for the Christmas break," Tate spoke.  
"But if Michael is sick, why not wait a little longer? Until Sunday, at least. Changing the flights would be a pain."  
"They probably do know who's in and who's out," Kath answered, "but I assume that if it's today, then it's just some more time to say good bye, and just to get it behind him."  
"He is sick," Rho stated, "let him rest."  
"Yes." Tilly nodded. "I agree."  
"Maybe, he was just doing final preparations for it?" Africa suggested.  
"Silvestre wouldn't let him skip the charity for that." Kath reminded her, "and there are no cameras here today."  
"That… yeah." Tilly looked around herself. "The last time, they had cameras, didn't they?"  
"I think so." Africa leaned backwards. "They did have video footage on the report."

Next to the group, the door opened. Slowly – as if they had to increase the tension – and a few of the girls rose in curiosity – who was coming? Michael would have been in by now, and there was nothing indicating another round of charms. Tilly touched the bracelet she had been proudly wearing every single day. This wasn't an elimination. This was different.

The person standing – well, sitting – in the door took away everyone's breath. Pushed by Rihanna who was more careful and slower than they had ever seen, Princess Emilia Schreave of Illéa entered the room in a wheel chair.

"Thanks." She told her best friend before directing her attention to the surprised twenty-four girls. She smiled serenely – wasn't she dead? Hadn't that been among the reasons why Mayli had been eliminated – because she leaked Emilia's death. No, Tilly remembered. That her condition was declining and that she wasn't expected to survive. The princess apparently had.

"Good day, girls." Emilia's voice was as soft as the faint smile on her face. Rihanna wasn't sick – she had been with her best friend. And considering the blonde's body language, she wasn't going to leave Emilia's side anytime soon. "It's nice to finally be able to meet you in person. Rihanna-" She turned to her best friend who grinned. "- has told me a lot already." Even in the wheel chair, Emilia carried herself regally and like a princess. Well, she was one… "I have to apologise if I do not remember everyone's name immediately." She apologised. "I have spent the last month in rehab after waking up about… Rihanna?"  
"About a week-ish after the first elimination." Rihanna explained. "In November."  
Emilia smiled grateful. "I wasn't able to come and see you before, and in order to allow me and other patients better recovery, my awakening had been kept secret." She chuckled. "But here I am, now. You will probably see a bit more of me now."

She allowed the girls a brief pause to comprehend the princesses' return.

"While me being alive is hopefully good news, I am afraid, I have bad ones as well." She paused again – this time visibly to gather her strength. "Yesterday evening, Isadora and my brother have been kidnapped."

"What." Africa's immediate response stopped the shocked silence from existing.

Emilia repeated herself. "The police are already on it, and Isadora's family has been informed. The police have the licence plate of the car too – we are confident to be able to find and rescue them. From what I know, money demands were made this morning while you were at the charity event." Before Tilly could even worry about them, Emilia ended these worries. "Which we will – with police help – follow. I expect them to be found by this Friday." Her voice found strength again – she clearly believed that they would be fine.

"Until then, for your safety, we must ask you not to leave the palace without a bodyguard." Emilia added. "The palace grounds, including the garden, are safe though. Do you have any questions?"

After dumping the news that Isadora and Michael had been kidnapped? Only one thousand, but even Emilia wouldn't have an answer to them, Tilly thought. Considering the silence, probably not. With a glad smile – Emilia probably didn't like to talk about this either.

And yet, she kept perfect composure. Tilly sighed. She had a long way to go. Emilia whispered something else to Rihanna after dismissing the girls – Tilly was among the people to stand up. She looked to the ground. Could she still take Rock and Flora for a run? Wait – why was she even thinking of them; she had to be worried about Michael… Well, Emilia had told them that they were going to be fine, and Tilly genuinely didn't want to imagine the _what if_ scenario.

"Othilia Joyce?" Emilia's clear voice spoke as most of the girls left the room. "Would you mind coming over for a second?"  
Tilly looked up. "Uh… Sure?"  
"Thank you." The princess smiled. "I just a small request."  
"What?"  
"Would you mind taking Flora and Rock for their walks until we've got Michael back? I," She looked down at the wheelchair. "I am most certainly not in the position to do so, and Rihanna always loses one of the two leashes."  
"Sure." Tilly nodded with a smile. "I was wondering about them either way!"  
Emilia was glad. "That's great; thank you."

* . * . *

In the morning of the same day, Rihanna, Isadora and Michael all did not attend the charity event organised by Cecilia's group. A topic that bought public speculations, but the palace quickly explained that it was due to health issues. A lie. Rather than meeting up with Michael and Sam to eat breakfast as she usually did, Rihanna had gone to the hospital, to visit Emilia.

"I can't believe Mike didn't show up today." Rihanna complained, then not knowing what happened.

Emilia Schreave dropped the book onto her lap and turned the wheel chair around herself. She mustered the other blonde and smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure he has other things to take care off." She insisted.

The princess had been reading next to the opened window. It had been more than a month by now that Emilia had woken up, but no one expect her closest family and the hospital staff (alongside Rihanna, Silvestre and Sam) knew. Recovering was difficult – she needed to learn everything from the beginning on, but she made progress – strong progress.

Today, Emilia would finally return home.

"He should be here though." Rihanna insisted before giving Emilia a good morning kiss. "He should be helping you."  
"I have you." Emilia smiled at her girlfriend. "That's enough."  
Rihanna took a seat next to the princess and smiled awkwardly. "That's… It's too sweet." She pressed out.  
Emilia laughed – bright and cheerful as always. "You'll cope, honey."  
"I surely hope so." Rihanna joined. "How's your packing going?"  
"Packing?" Emilia chuckled. "If you call 'staff coming and packing my stuff' _my_ packing, then good. Otherwise, I'm almost done with my book."  
"A tragedy." Rihanna melodramatic answered.

The blonde leaned into the princess and closed her eyes. Emilia smiled – this was relieving to see; when Rihanna first had come about a week after the first eliminations, she had been out of her usual casual character and refused to leave Emilia. Back then, Emilia hadn't gasped everything, but Rihanna, staying with her almost every day, had patience (uncommon) to explain her what happened (in great detail, as always). About her mother. About the whole attack. About the follow-ups. About the economic pressure. About Greene forcing Michael in a Selection.

Emilia placed a hand gentle on the other girl's back. These months probably had been stressful for all of them. At least Michael had Sam to depend on – Rihanna was left alone without her 'best friend'. Participating in the Selection was weird enough for Rihanna to do either way, Emilia thought. But considering the fact that they had to keep their relationship an absolute secret, even from their families thanks to Richard's homophobia…

"You know," Emilia whispered into Rihanna's ear, "I am getting a few ideas that could have been yours."  
"Crazy ones?" Rihanna chuckled.  
"Yes." The princess nodded.  
"What?" She turned to her. "Tell me, tell me!"  
The Illéan princess whispered the idea into Rihanna's ear – Rihanna instantly broke into laugher. "That won't happen. I mean, I'm in, but, you know why."  
"I mean, it would-"

The door behind them opened, leading to both girls twitching. Rihanna moved away from Emmy, hoping that Silvestre, who was coming in, hadn't noticed the close proximity of them.  
"Good morning." Emilia's godmother spoke with a soft smile. "How are you doing?"  
"I'm doing fine, thank you." The princess answered serene. She always had been better in pretending that nothing happened than Rihanna. "A bit nervous maybe. How's Michael doing?"  
Silvestre sighed and sat down next to the girls. "That is the problem."  
"The problem?" Emilia asked wary. "What did he do this time?"  
"Nothing but go on a spontaneous trip with Isadora Bonovich."

The name told Emilia relatively little. Alexandria Bonovich was a famous actress, yes, and the family was wealthy, but not among the people Emilia usually visited. Alexandria did do some charity work, but not enough to be considered close to Emilia's circle of friends.

"What happened?" Emilia's mind immediately went to her brother's archenemy – the press. Had someone taken an inappropriate photo or anything?  
"From what an eyewitness who called the police has reported, and from what we know from the security camera of a nearby ATM, they were kidnapped by unknown people." Silvestre admitted. "We don't know where they are."  
"Who knows?"  
"The King, Sam – he was the one to figure out Michael was missing – and selected members of my team, the police and Isadora's family." Silvestre listed. "We've told the public that Michael, Isadora and Rihanna are sick."  
"Why me?"  
"There's a charity event starting in thirty minutes, and knowing you, you will hang out with Emilia rather than od your job." Silvestre, colder, remarked.  
"… Point, yeah." Rihanna nodded.  
"You do need to tell the press at some point." Emilia remarked. "What will you do?"  
"… I don't know yet. I hope that it can be resolved without the public learning, but I doubt it."

Emilia kept her state of mood down. A princess couldn't just break into emotions – even if she was worried about her brother. Considering the power behind the Bonovich empire, this was probably for money. She was willing to pay to get her brother back, and knowing that the best forces in Illéa would help them was good.

"Please don't do anything that'll make people turn against him again." Emilia requested politely.  
Silvestre nodded. "I won't. I care for you two – now more than ever." Ever since her mother died, Emilia thought. "I'm on your side."  
"I am glad to know that." The princess nodded. "But for now, we need to discuss how to explain that to the Selected."  
"They don't know that you've woken up." Silvestre remarked.  
"Then we need to explain that as well." The princess decided. "Maybe after the charity event today?" She suggested.  
"That sounds like a good idea." Rihanna agreed.

 **Author's Note**

 **Shipping Rihanna and Emilia was the best decision and worst I've made for this fanfiction, change my mind.**

 **Emilia's injuries are based on what happened to my mother ages ago. Since this is set in the future, I'm assuming that chances to survive are a bit higher and that the rehab has been improved. It probably has by now too.**

 **Next Chapter: Solo**


	37. Solo

**37**

 **Solo**

In the evening of the same day when Emilia had first met the Selected, she asked Rihanna to leave her alone for a while. Angeles Palace had, fortunately, lifts – she would be able to work on her own, without Rihanna's help.

That left Rihanna with one problem – what to do?

She could join the others, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with any type of "Why didn't you tell us about Emilia?" questions, or anything really. Rihanna sighed – the sun above the skyline of Angeles was setting which probably was a nice view, if it wasn't for the worry she headed for her best friend…

"How are you doing?" Sam approached her from behind. Right. This was about the time when he finished for the day, wasn't it?  
"Nah." Rihanna groaned. "Emmy wants to be on her own and/or talk to her father, and that leaves me alone."  
"What about your friends? Tilly and the others?" Sam asked.  
"Nah." Rihanna repeated. "I am not in the mood to be the connection between staff and Selected right now."  
"Understandable." Sam chuckled. "What are you planning for the evening?"  
"Aside of the uninventable dinner with the others where I can't just chat with my best friend?" Sam nodded. "Nothing, really. Worry 'bout Mike, worry 'bout Emmy, worry 'bout life?"  
"Sounds like a good plan."

Rihanna stretched herself. The evening air in the garden of the palace was pleasant, but it was weirdly quiet. She was a people's person – being alone wasn't her thing.  
"You… you never mentioned it." Rihanna remarked slowly, quiet. She wasn't sure whenever Sam wanted to talk about it, and today was really not the best day to force anyone into any conversation, she felt.  
"What?" Sam asked oblivious.  
"That you've got that disorder. When we went through the files, you never said that you have it too."  
"You didn't read the medical information," Sam reminded her.  
"Of course I didn't. I don't know what half of them mean."  
Sam laughed quietly. "I didn't mention it because there never was a chance to."  
"How long do we know each other?"  
"Four years or so?"  
"Exactly. That could have come up at some point."  
"In what kind of conversation though?"

Sam stepped onto the grass of the garden. Yeah, at what point? Going by what he had said, Michael knew about it – Michael generally seemed to know much more about Sam than Rihanna and Emilia did combined. He was there, always quietly by Mike's side, and Rihanna didn't even know where the heck he had grown up. It had never come up, and now, after four years of friendship, randomly asking him sounded as 'right' as asking him whenever he was of Chinese, Japanese or what-ever-descent. Another thing, Rihanna didn't know. "Samuel Jones" was an Illéan name, but Sam clearly didn't look white. Maybe Chinese, because of Mayli?

"Point given." Rihanna joined him. "Hey, Sam?"  
"Hm?"  
"Do you speak Chinese?"  
"… What?"  
"Do you speak Chinese?" Rihanna repeated.  
"That's random."  
"I know." Rihanna shrugged. "I just thought of it. Mayli did, didn't she?"  
"Just because Mayli's my ex-girlfriend doesn't mean that I speak Chinese…?"  
"Yes, but,"  
"Rihanna, if you want to know where my mother was from, _ask_."  
Rihanna cringed. He had caught her. Both of them knew how the monarch felt about foreigners and immigrants – Silvestre and Sam both probably had it much more difficult at work than others. If it wasn't for their close friendships to Charlotte and Michael, there'd be no way, he'd employ them.  
"China." Sam nodded. "But I don't really speak Chinese. Anymore, it is. I probably could get into it, if I tried, but I definitely can't read it, or anything."  
"You never talk about your family," Rihanna remarked.  
"Nor do you."  
"I don't know who my parents are though, and you all know mum."  
Sam sighed. "I… It's nothing I like to talk about."  
"Huh?"  
"It's a very long story." Sam shook his head. "Let's change the topic."

Rihanna looked at Sam. He was staring into the distance, his face looking empty. He definitely didn't look like he liked to talk about them. What _did_ she know? That his mother was Chinese, which in return implied that his father probably wasn't. She knew that Sam didn't go to the same school as Michael, but that they met when they were sixteen. Probably at parties or anything, she thought. She knew that Sam didn't drink any alcohol and always was the 'driver' friend – despite not having a driver's licence.

Weird…

Weird to think that Sam had been among her best friends for so long and that she knew so little about him.

"Why are you really here, Rihanna?" Sam asked.  
"What? In the garden? Because I don't want to talk to the other Selected."  
"No." He shook his head. "Why in general? In the Selection? You don't like Mike romantically, and you're Emilia's best friend – no need to do it for the attention."  
"Uh…" Rihanna giggled nervously. "That's… a long story, I guess."  
"We do have some time."  
"Well…"

This was weird. Especially to Sam. Sam was, out of pretty much everyone, the closest to Michael. Whatever she told him would definitely find its way to Michael, and also probably Emilia.  
"I'm not so sure myself," Rihanna admitted, "I mean, I do like to be the centre of attention now, and it's fun – plus it's a good thing to do while I'm figuring out my life."  
"That's not everything, isn't it?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You've been overemphasizing that you're just a friend to Mike."  
"… Are you implying I have a crush on him?"  
"Maybe."  
"Well, I don't." Rihanna sighed. If Sam only knew… "I…" She groaned. "It's… it's really difficult to explain."  
"Feel free to take your time." Sam encouraged her.

"… I… I've been a lot in Emmy's shadows and all, and I really wanted to get out for once. And then, we didn't know if she'd actually wake up and all… I guess it was a 'in the moment' decision to just do it." She turned to Sam. "And… If…"  
"If what?" Sam rose an eyebrow.  
"Do not – I repeat – do _not_ tell anyone of this. Including my mother, Mike, Emmy – kind of – and their father, or anyone."  
"Of you being jealous of Emmy?"  
"I'm not jealous! I just…" Rihanna groaned. "I… We're dating."

Sam hesitated. "… You and Mike are dating? What?"  
"Nonononono!" Rihanna sighed. "Emmy and I are."  
"Emmy as in Emilia? Emilia Schreave?"  
"Yes." Rihanna nodded. "Do _not_ tell anyone. You get that if-"  
"Richard's homophobic as, I know." Sam interrupted her. "But why are you in the Selection then?"  
"I… I guess it's to have a reason to be around in case Emmy woke up, and…" She hesitated. "I mean, it's not like I don't like the spotlight… I don't want Mike, I just want to have fun, you know? Mike can do what he wants – I don't care."  
"And what does Mike think about that?"  
"Nothing – he doesn't know. How do you tell your best friend that – especially when it comes to Emmy?"  
"Well… Okay?"

Sam didn't look like he agreed – he dodged Rihanna's glance and looked back into the distance. He was thinking, Rihanna realised. About what? Whenever Mike would go along with the plan? _Would he_? Even if the press liked to show it otherwise, Michael genuinely cared for Emilia, so… They did have a shot, didn't they?

"What about you?"  
"I'm not in the Selection."  
"No," Rihanna laughed, "Why are you hanging around? You could be finishing your Bachelor's degree this year, rather than dealing with mum – she clearly doesn't like you as much as Mike does."  
"I… I'm worried about him."  
"Mike?"  
"Yeah." Sam nodded. "This all is taking a toll on him, and Richard doesn't acknowledge it. He needs someone to rely on, and, I'm sorry, you're not the person for that job. Nor is Emilia, even now that she's a bit healthier."  
"But it's not your job to pretty much give up your life for Michael." Rihanna reminded him.  
"I'm not." Sam stopped walking, "but… Uh…"  
"What?"  
"Nothing, really. It's nothing." Sam took a deep breath. "I... See you later, Rihanna." Wordless, he turned around and started walking off.

"… What?" Rihanna turned around to see her friend walking. What nerve had she hit? Michael? The reason why Sam was working with Silvestre rather than finishing his degree? If he needed the money, why not tell her? Sam and Rihanna often enough complained about how expensive university was. From what Rihanna had caught on, Sam wasn't a bad student either – it couldn't be that he was struggling academically or anything. Was it the fact that Silvestre had something against him?  
"I don't even know what…" Rihanna thought aloud. "Mum's always been like 'Yeah, invite Emilia and Michael, and when I added Sam, she always seemed… she has something against him. Did he ever do anything? What? Sam's… definitely better than I am. Or Mike. She can't prefer Mike _just because_ he's Charlotte's son; even if, that doesn't give her a reason to dislike him."

Another thing that she didn't understand about her friend.

"Damn it," She cursed, "I really don't know a thing 'bout him."

Rihanna closed her eyes, pulling her mind away from Sam. He couldn't know – not yet. He would tell Mike, and she hadn't even told Emilia about the true reasons why she was in the Selection… Michael was straight. He hated the idea of the Selection, and he, in Rihanna's opinion, wasn't going to find the love of his life in here. If he was to marry her, he could date whoever he wanted in secret, and she had a valid reason to always be by Emilia's side.

* . * . *

"Father?" Emilia patiently waited for the footman to push her on the wheelchair inside. "Good day."  
Richard smiled when recognising his daughter. "What can I do for you, darling? Are you feeling well?"  
"Angeles Palace is very wheelchair friendly, father," Emilia reminded him, "and yes, I am feeling fairly fine."  
"Why are you here then?" The King asked curious.  
"Does a daughter need a reason to see her father?"  
Richard chuckled. "Probably not."  
"Good." Emilia folded her hands on the blanket she had placed on her legs. "We need to talk."  
"So you have come for a reason."  
Emilia ignored his words. "Why did you agree? Why did you let Greene force Michael into this?"  
"Because Greene is the prime minister."  
"You're the King."  
"Darling, we aren't-"  
"Michael is right, you know. The Selection is questionable in terms of human rights."  
"I know, but-"  
"He's your _son_ , father!"

Richard sighed. Emilia had always been the calmer sibling of the two – the one to see both sides of a coin – while Michael came to the first conclusion he found and stayed with it. Clearly, the Illéan princess had made her choice either way.

"I know, Emilia, but-"  
"He is twenty years old! You didn't marry mother until you were twenty-five!"  
"This… this is a good chance for Michael to settle down. He's been playing around for far too long – he needs to grow up."  
"You cannot believe that." Emilia begged. "You cannot believe gossip magazines over your own son."  
"Emilia, Michael… He's a twenty years old boy – that's what always happens. You… You've always been grown up, yes, but Michael? He needs to stop sleeping around with every female he meets."  
"That is false," Emilia insisted.  
"How come there are so many women claiming the opposite then?"  
"For their five minutes of fame, father." Emilia leaned forward. The princess wanted to stand up, slam her fist on the table and remind her father that he was meant to be parenting. From the visits that her brother had been able to make within the time, she had been awake, his constant tension was clear. Emilia knew that he wasn't handling life – be it the press or people wanting him to be the Crown Prince – well, but either her memories had been altered or the Selection was making it worse.

Even if her brother found love – he absolutely deserved it – how could he know if it was forever? Emilia loved Rihanna – ever since coming to terms with herself on that last year on their world trip, she couldn't have been happier – but she didn't know whenever she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her.

"Emilia, it's not that easy."  
"It is."  
"There have been-"  
"People have accused Michael of raping them." Emilia interrupted him. " _I know_. I have people to catch me up, father." Please, please, please. Listen, she hoped. Listen and help to change this. Help to at least allow Michael to find a way out. To stop forcing him keeping Greene's list in the Selection. Be the father he was meant to be. Fill in the late queen's place. "They're liars. I know that."  
"Emilia, you don't."  
"I do."  
"How?"  
"How do you?"  
Richard sighed. "The fact that you need to answer my question with a question answers that."  
"Father, please, do something!" Emilia begged.  
"He's gotten along with some girls, you know."  
"With Sam's abusive ex-girlfriend who manipulated him, and also leaked that I was almost dying."  
"Samuel Jones isn't the company I would wish for him."  
"Nor was Mayli Yi, in your opinion." Emilia sighed. "I get that, and you've got the right to have an opinion, but would mother want this? Would she want Michael to be happy!"  
"I believe that she would agree with me that he is."  
"How can you believe that?"

Emilia turned herself around – she didn't need the answer to that question. She was shocked. How could her father believe that? How could he sincerely stand behind the idea of the Selection? How could he support it? It didn't make sense to her – forcing Michael into that sounded like the worst idea that ever existed.

"I can't believe it." She muttered as she wheeled herself through the hallways of the palace. It was awkward enough that she couldn't walk as always – the princess didn't like to depend on others. At least now she knew first hand how the people felt for whom she had advertised to be helped.

The princess only stopped the wheelchair when she recognised a very familiar face. Silvestre was discussing something with Sam – wasn't it late enough for him to be past his work hours? Curious, she clumsily steered towards the two.

"That is all." Silvestre nodded absent minded.  
"Good evening, you two," the princess greeted them.  
"Hello Emmy." Silvestre smiled. Sam nodded to her. Just like Rihanna, Emilia never understood the tensions between her godmother and Michael's best friend, but unlike Rihanna, she had acknowledged them and wasn't questioning them.  
"What were you talking about?"  
"The whole situation," Silvestre answered, "around Michael and Isadora."  
"Of course." Her smile dropped. "Do you know if there's anything new?"  
"Not yet, but the police expect money demands at this point. That is the most logical answer at least. It is presumed that it was a 'in the moment' crime because they didn't have security with them."  
"I understand."  
"Michael will be glad to have you back," Sam assured her.  
"I surely hope so, despite my belief that you and Rihanna are good enough aides." She watched Silvestre's expression curiously. Nothing changed.  
"Why don't you two come to my office? There are a few things I would like to ask you about, before we drop work in favour of the holidays."  
"I would love to. Sam?"  
"I don't have a best friend holding me back, so yeah, sure."

Sam pushed her wheelchair – Emilia gladly took the opportunity to relax for a while. Once they arrived, Emilia didn't immediately allow the two to engage another conversation – she had to look around. Not that she had never been to Silvestre's office, but she hadn't been here in over seven months. Of course, she was curious – Silvestre's office was always changing. New notes. New photos. New articles. New notes. A new photo, the princess noted. Rihanna dressed in one of her older red dresses and Silvestre as pirate – the Halloween ball. Too bad that she missed it – it would have been fun to dress up with Rihanna. Surely, there would be another chance, she assured herself.

"What did you want to discuss?" Emilia asked, "Oh, and Sam, do stay please." The young man had been heading towards the exit quietly. Now, he looked to Silvestre, expecting her approval. The woman gave him a kind nod.  
"Sit down." She added while taking her own seat. "I am interested in his opinion too."  
"Opinion?"  
"I know, you've only had a few minutes with the girls, but you've read the files and reports, I assume."  
"Yes." Emilia nodded. Probably more concentrated than her brother. "You would like my opinion on them?"  
"Yes. Mere curiosity though – I doubt that there is anything _I_ can influence. That is up to you two and Rihanna." She chuckled.  
Emilia joined. "I prefer not to judge early, but I do have some ideas. After that, you must promise me to answer a question too though."  
"Of course, honey." Silvestre smiled warmly.

Emilia began going through the girls' names and identified the girls that she remembered, explained her opinion and how she had come to that. With each name, she asked for Sam's opinion afterwards as well as Silvestre's.  
"Then, Cecilia." Emilia paused. "I know her, and she can be a nice woman, I assume, but from what Rihanna has told me, she doesn't seem to be that."  
"No, she isn't." Silvestre shook her head.  
"Sam?"  
"I… I am not favouring her either." Sam's response was less enthusiastic as before. "What about Rho?"  
"Rhosyn Reynolds?" Cecilia repeated. "A nice person, I presume. Hopefully better than her parents."  
"She is." Silvestre believed. "Sam, I presume you agree?"  
"Yes. She's a good friend." He didn't mention the deal of which he knew.  
"Katherine?" Silvestre pulled open the next file. "I like her."  
"I haven't met her yet, but she appears to be a person I'd like."  
"She isn't anything like Mike though," Sam reminded them, "Far too academically focused."  
"Good point. Probably the same with Rhosyn. Did you know that-"  
"She visited me with Michael, I know. Her father mentioned." Emilia nodded. "What about Tilly? She appears to be intelligent too. She was very lovable and got along perfectly fine with Flora."  
"Everyone gets along with Flora." Silvestre chuckled. "She and Rock love people."  
"She's got a dog." Sam reminded them. "Mike loves dog people."  
Emilia chuckled. "Oh, yes, he does. Tatiana? She made a good impression to Scarlet, I heard?"  
"I like her." Sam immediately insisted. Emilia made the connections.  
"She isn't on the 'Michael, please eliminate them' at the moment." Silvestre answered. "I'm neutral. Africa?"  
"Too famous for Michael." The princess leaned back. "Although, her experience with the press probably could help. I think she never got into any scandal, didn't she?"  
"No, not at all. She's good at keeping quiet." Sam nodded. "What about Isadora?"  
"I haven't had the pleasure yet, but from what I've been told, they're quite similar. Are these all?"

Silvestre nodded. "Yes, thank you. That was a nice conversation. But, now, what did you want from me, Emilia?"  
"I'd like to know what you think about the Selection, and Michael being forced into it." Her expression cooled down a bit. Less than with her father but still visible.  
"… I am fairly sure I agree with you completely. The main positive aspect I see is that Reddit has, comparatively, died down."  
"Except for that one incident?"  
"Except for that one incident. Yes."

 **Author's Note**

 **The little detail about the surname thing I decided to add because I just read Green's The Selection and The Spy and realised that I might want to explain my version of why the surname is still Schreave here.**

 **Next Chapter: Home**


	38. Home

**38**

 **home**

"Hello?"

Calling into the darkness was probably not the most ideal idea, but Michael did it either way. His head hurt, he came to realise, and he was sitting somewhere. With his hands restrained behind his back. He was trembling – because of the cold or why?

"Is that a bad joke? Am I high? Or sleeping? Please let it be sleeping."  
"Doubt it." Isadora's answer came from somewhere near him – on his right, he realised.

It was col; Michael's clothes weren't made for the cold metallic ground he was sitting on. Where were they? His heart began to race and he felt his hands grow sweaty. Oh no, he thought as the memories of the evening – last evening? When had it been? – came back to him.

"And before you ask, I'm fairly sure we're kidnapped."

"Mood," the prince uttered. "But then, the police will be on it soon."

He could hear Isadora shift. "Hmm hmm."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Isadora's words were cold. Was she freezing too, or was it the racing heart for her too?

"You don't sound that 'well', you know," he remarked, "are you worried?"

"Just about my life, you know," she laughed sarcastic.

"We're just worth heaps of money," Michael reminded her, "they won't hurt us."

He just wished he could feel as confident as he talked. He had been given training on what to do in a case of being taken hostage or abducted, but Isadora? She seemed nervous. Given the situation, probably expectable. He was too – damn it. How stupid had he been? Why not bring along the body guard he always had? It would have been so much easier. But no, he had to be so stubborn and be 'cool' by ignoring what was done to protect him! Stupid Michael. Stupid Michael.

"So…" Michael tried to get comfortable. It was useless. "Who's that guy you like? The not-the-bartender?" He needed to distract himself.

"… Why are you bringing this up _now_ out of all times?"

The prince hesitated. "We're alone, we're in the dark, we don't have anything else to do, so… why not? "

"You sound like the opening of an erotica."

"…" Michael was dumbfounded. That _wasn't_ his intention. "… Why do you know how the beginning of an erotica sounds?"

"My mother." Isadora's response was straightforward and clear - serious. Michael couldn't help but imagine Alexandria Bonovich reading _50 Shades of Grey_ thought… Yeah, that sounded realistic.

"Who is it?" Michael changed the topic back."

"A penguin, of course,"

"So… you met in the zoo!"

"I've never been to the zoo," Isadora answered with a hint of sadness.

"Oh." Michael blinked – the darkness wasn't changing though. Ouch though, he thought. The wrong comment, obviously – again. What else did he expect from himself? Nothing, he should have. Well… This was definitely not helpful. He couldn't be helpful – again.

"It's… Uh…" Isadora hesitated. Michael looked up – into the empty darkness. That was new; she wasn't the cold lady as always! Success – was he growing closer to her?

"You… you don't need to tell me," Michael promised. That worked in movies, didn't it?

Isadora chuckled. "Who says that you won't sue me for breaking the rules, like Mayli?"

"I have nothing to do with the law suit; Mayli was eliminated for another reason."

"The taboo, yes, you mentioned that," Isadora said. "That's no assurance thought."

"I'm… I'm afraid that I'm not capable of signing a contract right now. Besides, from what I get, you and Raisin are both uninterested in the Selection… Certainly not the best… situation, but it's not like I can force you into anything."

Could he offer her the same deal he had with Rihanna and Raisin? Certainly, he could, but Isadora didn't have any real reason to stay in the Selection otherwise… Isadora leaned backwards – or at least Michael could hear a sound that sounded vaguely like that. What was she doing? Was she trying to get out? Whoever had the idea of kidnapping them probably had weapons – she was going to get herself killed.

"… Aren't you scared?" Isadora asked with a surprisingly timid voice.

"Uh…" Michael hesitated. Was he? Kind of, but not like the time he was skydiving because Rihanna dared him to. For all he knew, he was in a dark room, unable to move as he wanted without an idea where exactly he was. That sounded pretty much like he was drunk or something… "I… dunno. Maybe I'm just… I don't know, really," He leaned backwards, "but this might just be my way of coping – I pretend it's… not real…you know?"

Isadora laughed out. "I'm sorry to tell you, but this _is_ real."

You don't say, Michael pressed his eyes close. They were kidnapped. Helpless… She was right. They _could_ die here. He tried to focus – what was he meant to do again? _Remain calm_. He had remained calm – yes! – until the realisation kicked in. Very helpful. _Be observant_. He couldn't hear anything but their steady breathing; Isadora was out of his reach but not too far away. Less than… around five metres maybe? They weren't on opposite sides of a room, he tried to tell himself. The ground was cold, and…?

He trembled. What was he going to do? Who was behind this? Did anyone know? How long had they been out – did anyone notice? Their absence was without a bodyguard, at least at some point, someone would notice! Sam, Rihanna, Isadora's friends? Anyone of them? Emilia? Of course, Emilia – he was meant to pick her up, but that was tomorrow… Was today tomorrow?

Who had abducted them, and why? What? Why? When? Michael wanted to lean forward, but with the ties around wrists and ankles, that was too much work. He took a deep breath – _focus_! _Stay strong; you can't expect that from Isa!_

"Michael? Are you alright?" Isadora

Never again – he'd never see-

 *** . * . ***

"I am fine – I am safe, yes." Kath took a deep breath. "I have to… go…. Now… Yes, dad, I'll be fine. You do _not_ need- _Don't_! Don't do that! Please, just, no! The palace security is perfectly fine… No, Michael was abducted because he didn't have anyone on him – he walked out of the palace without security. The same goes for Isadora."

Katherine was standing in the hallways of Angeles Palace, talking to an overly worried father who insisted that he should send her bodyguards. Silvestre had just finished the press conference that Edwin Rhodes clearly had seen – that, or Richard had told him beforehand. They apparently were friends after all. It had been a day by now. The whole of yesterday, this morning and the night during which they disappeared.

"I'll… I need to go to the lessons now," Kath lied. She loved her father, but he was _too_ protective. She was able to stay alive on her own – no matter what happened; she was a grown-up woman. Plus, unlike Mike and Isa, Kath actually was capable of making sure she wasn't getting herself into danger.

"Yes, I love you too. I'll take care. Bye." She hit the 'end call' button and closed her eyes. She was an independent, grown up woman – no need to take over the control over her life! Kath took a deep breath – _calm down, no need to stress about that_ , she thought.

"You seem stressed." Emilia's voice was as sweet and calm as it had been yesterday. She hadn't seen the princess since then. "Katherine, was it?"

"Uh, yes." Kath turned to Emilia. It was strange to meet her – she had been a ghost flowing around her brother, Sam and Rihanna, but now she was here – real.

"What happened?" The blonde was alone in the wheelchair. Kath hadn't even noticed her approaching. She must have gotten a hang of the wheelchair by now, she added.

"My dad is worried," Kath explained. "Overly worried, actually. He wants to send me private bodyguards or have me come back home."

"You don't seem to agree with that assessment."

"I don't, no." Kath nodded. "I mean, I heard what happened, and whenever I've left the palace, I've been more careful and all."

Emilia nodded. She even seemed to chuckle – but it sounded sad. "Yes, Michael… He should be more responsible, I suppose. Aside of your father, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, I guess." Kath shrugged. She wasn't really thinking about her own wellbeing right now. Not with her friend kidnapped. "I'm worried about my friends."

"Friends?" Emilia repeated. "The plural – so you do like Isadora after all? Rihanna mentioned tension between you two."

"I…" Emilia had an interesting point. Did Katherine consider Isadora as her friend? They hadn't exactly done anything to become friends, but there was no doubt that she was worried about her. Maybe Isadora and her just had gotten onto the wrong side of each other? Katherine sighed. Maybe she should give her a real chance?

Emilia smiled at her knowing. Had she directed the conversation there on purpose? "I'm glad to see that you get along," the princess said with a hum.

"You…" Kath crossed her arms. Emilia _had_ done that on purpose.

"… did that on purpose?" Emilia chuckled. "Yes, I did. My best friend asked me to do so."

"Rihanna did so? Why?"

"Apparently, she got annoyed by the tensions between you and Isadora's cold attitude. Plus, I want her to feel welcome if she decides to return here."

"If she decides to return here?" Kath repeated.

"It's possible that she decides to go home after this all," Emilia reminded her. "Understandable, I presume. Michael'll probably address the topic, once he's back."

"You're talking as if he'll be back for sure…" Kath noted with a dark undertone.

"Oh," Emilia smiled light-hearted, "they will for sure. Demands for ransom arrived this morning. We'll have them back very soon."

"What is happening?" Kath inquired.

"Do not tell anyone this," Emilia began speaking, "but the kidnappers are demanding money to be brought in cash – don't ask me the sum, it's much though – to a meeting place. In exchange, they'll reveal where Michael and Isadora are."

"How do you know that the kidnappers will tell you the right place?" Kath asked.

"I'm not very involved into the whole situation, but the police are trained to deal with such situations. By now, they've come to the conclusion that the criminals aren't too organised – there's no mafia or anything behind it."

"How can you remain so calm?"

"I have to." Emilia smiled gently. "How would everyone react if _I_ panicked? People would genuinely worry. I can't take that luxury. Nor could Michael, I presume."

Katherine nodded, unsure what to say. The idea wasn't a nice one, she thought. She wasn't a very emotive person, but having to hold back her emotions in any case so others wouldn't panic…? No, she wouldn't like that. "If you're so sure that they'll come back – when?"

"Soon, soon," Emilia answered, looking aside. She probably wasn't sure, Katherine concluded.

* . * . *

Michael hadn't said a word anymore, and Isadora wasn't sure whenever she liked that or not. He was silent, meaning she had time to focus herself – literally nothing had happened in the last… how long? She had no idea. Isadora was hungry and thirsty, but wasn't nervous or afraid anymore.

 _Nothing had happened._

What was she meant to do? What could she do? There wasn't much. Damn, she thought. There was nothing she could do. Nothing that she could-

the door blasted open.

The bright light coming from the outside blended both, Michael and Isadora. She turned her head away and cringed. Some people were shouting, and despite the surprise, relief filled her mind.

The shouting sounded very much like police, and not like someone who'd kidnap them. That was good, she thought.

"There're here," someone called. "Safe… I guess."

"Yeah, kind of," Isadora called out sarcastic, trying to avoid the bright light still. She groaned – it was far too bright for her taste.

Eventually, she grew used to the light and recognised the police coming in. Someone removed the ties, gave her a hand and helped her up. Help, good. She glanced to Michael. This was… She wasn't sure how she felt. Relieved, yes, but otherwise? She couldn't tell if she wanted to. Surreal, maybe. Yes. This was surreal. Maybe they _were_ high after all?

They were rescued and after some police work and what not, learned that the kidnappers indeed had no real plan. Good for the two victims. Dodging the press rather clumsily, they ended up at the palace. Michael did, from what Isadora noticed, disappear away immediately, and so did Isadora.

No need to socialise or anything.

* . * . *

A day before their meant arrival, the girls were called to the Women's Room again. It was no surprise what was happening, hence the prince getting right to the topic. The room was tense, save for a few girls. Next to Kath, Tilly was anxiously patting her dog.

"The next elimination is happening," Michael summarised. "I talked to everyone beforehand, so, it's not a surprise for them."

That was new, Katherine thought. She looked to her friends, who all – equally – looked surprised about the news. So… they all were in, huh? The following explanation – Michael listed the girls who were to leave, who apparently had been told about that long enough in advance that they remained composed. Bankston, Belcourt, Bonita, Carolina.

"We're done to even less…" Michael concluded. "And I dunno, this is weird. But… I'm gonna hope I'm not the only one," he added.

Most of the girls chuckled. Katherine tensed up. He had a point – she honestly didn't know much about the other girls. Had Michael relationships with them? Kath barely spoke with them, and her friends didn't either. "How's Michael's relationship with the others?" she wondered.

Rihanna bit on her lip, gaining Kath's attention. "I gotta spy more," she said nervously.

"Spy more?" Africa asked.

"I have no idea how Michael's relationships with the others look like anymore," Rihanna said. "I've been hanging out too much with you all."

"Oh…" Tilly pulled her legs closer and played with her hair. "What do you think?"

"I have no idea…" Rihanna groaned. "Gah…"

Michael took back the word. "Now, as you know – I guess I'm just repeating it because Silvestre's worried of people not getting things? – we're doing Christmas holidays. I hope you all enjoy yours; I'll get to deal with Rihanna, and you probably know by now how much fun that is," he teased.

"Hey! I get to deal with you. Equally bad!"

"You have Emmy though," Michael said. For a mere moment, his expression faltered. Probably, he wasn't too happy about that. Rihanna'd have her best friend with her, but from the sounds of it, Michael was going to be alone. Nothing too fun, Kath thought. Why wasn't he taking Sam? If Silvestre and Rihanna could come, why couldn't Michael bring his best friend?

* . * . *

The evening came, dinner went by and besides conversations and people starting to pack, nothing particularly interesting happened. The Selected would leave tomorrow, for the Christmas break. Michael, Rihanna, Emilia, the King and Silvestre would head into the Northern provinces as they always did.

"The holidays are going to be weird," Michael remarked.

"Hmm?" His lover had, once again, taken over the other half of the prince's bed. "What do you mean?"

"Silvestre always came because of mum, and Rihanna too – because of Emmy and mum… Now, she isn't here anymore," Michal explained. He was hiding his face in a pillow, as if it would help him to avoid the inevitable truth of the upcoming, awkward holidays. Rihanna and Emilia'd hang out together, but Michael didn't feel like joining them. When the two had come back from travelling the world, something between had changed, and it made Michael feel weird to come along…

"And… yes, your father doesn't like Silvestre because she isn't white."

"That, and Rihanna and Emmy being weird, yeah," Michael nodded before turning around to the other human in his bed. "Can I please just hide you I my suitcase?"

"I doubt I'd fit in there."

Michael cursed quietly. "Yes, that sounds like a valid problem…"

"Besides… there's…" His lover stopped, gaining Michael's attention.

"What's up?"

"You know that… your father isn't going to be happy with this." This romance.

"… Yes." Michael hesitated to answer. He wasn't. His father had his favourites in the Selection, and even though he yet wasn't pushing Michael there, it was clear to Michael that someday he would. He had already made his opinion on Mayli known. This? No, never. He'd not accept it.

"You'll just get into more trouble," his love continued.

"Don't… Don't start with this topic," Michael begged. They had talked about this when _this_ had first started, but Michael didn't want to think about it. Drag the Selection out forever, maybe? Greene'd be OK with it. Probably. Mike didn't know. He didn't care much either.

"But you need to focus on the future, Mike."

"You're my future."

"That's cheesy," his lover commented, void of emotions. "I'm serious though. I am no choice – he'll not accept it. Greene won't either, and let's not talk about the whole country. Not if they learn of-"

"Shhh. Let's no-"

"You need to make your mind up on what to do."

"I…" Michael groaned. "I want you. Period."

"And I don't want to make it worse by staying. I am no choice."

Michael twitched and sat up abruptly. "You're not leaving."

His lover followed. "Mike, you need to make your mind up. I am no choice."

"I don't care!"

"You need to. You got to figure this out."

They both knew that Michael wouldn't. They both knew that he'd just procrastinate the decision forever, trying to solve it somehow – but not in a way that'd anyhow help. He was hopeless – in his mind, this had to stay forever or not.

 **Author's Note**

 **Uh… I suppose you expected some kind of action scene, but I gotta be honest – TRH is set in an alternative version of the present, and setting aside country history and so on, this could be set in Britain – the plan was never to include anything like that… Sorry?**

 **I'm still note sure what to do with this chapter. I hate it but idk what else to do. I gave up on it.**

 **Next Chapter: Waiting For Love**


	39. Waiting For Love

**39**

 **Waiting for Love**

The mansion owned by the Schreaves was many things.

Big, fancy, whatever – Rihanna didn't particularly care. This wasn't the first time that she was here, so there was no particular reason to be amazed or anything. It was weird enough that she considered this as her summer and winter home – it was snowing in the northern Illéan provinces.

"Do you think the lake will freeze?" Rihanna asked as the blonde princess kneed down at the shore. Both of them were dressed warm – Rihanna was wearing at least five layers – and alone. The alone part was probably the most important aspect in Rihanna's opinion.

"Probably, yes," Emilia said. "It's cold enough."

Rihanna nodded vaguely. Rather than looking what her girlfriend was doing, Rihanna glared around herself. She knew that Silvestre was visiting some friends, and that Richard was visiting the closest town. Michael was around – somewhere, she just didn't know where exactly.

"What are you looking at?" Emilia asked.

"I'm low-key worried that Mike'll come around the corner," Rihanna explained.

"He took Flora and Rock for a walk, I believe,' Emilia reminded her. "That'll keep him busy for a while…"

Awkwardly, Rihanna nodded. It was an unspoken fact between them – they really needed to talk to Emilia's brother about their relationship. Rihanna didn't want to – it'd include telling him about the vague idea she had told Sam a while ago, and said idea embarrassed her.

"We need to talk to him." As always, it was Emilia who was able to speak about the topic.

Rihanna sighed. "I know, but it's so… it's weird. Awkward. I don't know."

"You spoke to Sam, didn't you?"

"Yes… I didn't tell him out rightly about my… plan, but he knows we're dating."

"Sam is Mike's best friend. I expect that he told him by now."

"I doubt it," Rihanna shook her head. "If so, he'd have spoken to us by now. I asked Sam to keep quiet, and Sam's usually a person to keep promises. The only thing I'm questioning is that he's keeping it secret from his best friend. That's unusual."

"That's why I'm suspecting that Mike knows by now,"

"What do you think of the idea?" Rihanna asked. She couldn't get herself to speak it out completely. Too weird, the more she thought about it.

"It's good for us," Emilia began speaking, "but I am not sure about Michael. I hope that he'll fine _someone_ for himself. I don't- I can't convince myself of being selfish enough to say "nah, we'll just talk him into it", if you know what I mean. He has every right on someone for himself."

"Do you think he will find someone in the Selection though?" Rihanna asked in disbelief. Sure, there were a few girls, her friends included, whom she'd give a chance, but still – she couldn't believe that the Selection would end up in real love. For all she knew, the last two Selections hold included rule breaks that should have resulted in a sentence of high treason. America Singer had a relationship with someone else aside of the fifty thousand other crimes she committed, and Eadlyn Schreave? She didn't even end up choosing someone from the Selection.

"I… I could see _someone_ winning, actually," Emilia admitted. "But then again, I'm not that sure… She's…" Emilia broke off.

"From what I gathered, your dad wants him to marry someone with a name."

"It's logical," Emilia said. "Someone who's not grown up among protocol and upper class will ultimately come to suffer under all. Michael and I spoke about that before we went to Europe. Anyone who we date won't have much privacy anymore. The press will stalk the anywhere.

Rihanna laughed. "What about me?"

"You enjoy the spotlight," Emilia teased. She rose and stepped closer to Rihanna. "But yes, essentially, he wants someone used to it. Less problems and so on, and hopefully a good influence on Michael."

Rihanna grimaced. "He's not as bad as the press puts them. Honestly? He's an innocent cinnamon roll compared to others."

"Tell that dad," Emilia sighed. "To him, the truth's written in newspapers. Period."

Rihanna sighed. "I know. And the truth is what's broadcasted on Fox news too." She rolled her eyes. She leaned her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. "Why in the world is this so much to bother with?" she asked. Why couldn't Emmy just be some random normal girl?

"I don't know?" The princess leaned her head ono Rihanna's head. "That'd be so much easier, yes…"

Rihanna moved back, shaking her head as she did so. "Let's just ignore that now," she decided. There was no need to worry about that now, right? There was no reason, she reminded herself. They were fine – for the moment. For the holidays. She could procrastinate the decisions they'd need to make.

Emilia gently kissed Rihanna. "It'll be fine, honey," she said.

Rihanna mumbled a nod, an agreement or anything but both knew that the odds stood against them. Even if Emilia wanted to be a selfless sister, she knew that as long as Richard was alive and Greene's party in power, they had little chance. Not until Michael had children and Emilia disappeared out of the spotlight – which was unlikely too.

"Let's not talk to him yet," Emilia decided. "I… I want to give him a chance, and who knows? Greene knows how risky this is. One girl has to talk, and the whole thing blows up as a façade."

"What if that happens?"

Emilia chuckled, trying to hide her worry. "We will figure something out?" She suggested. If it was just that easy as saying something.

"People will know that I knew."

"You will be the friend who kept on his side – as a friend. Everyone in the Selection can confirm that," Emilia looked into Rihanna's eyes, "and so can I." She smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, but will-" Rihanna broke off. Why was she even bothering? She smiled. She was going to be fine if it all got out. "You know, maybe we should leak it?"

"Silvestre would kill you."

"I'm willing to take the risk. If that was to happen, Greene would have no chance with stopping us. The backlash would be too large."

"If it was that easy…" Emilia sighed. Rihanna, despite being by her side longer than she lived, sometimes still didn't understand that royalty wasn't that easy…

* . * . *

While most of the Selected had returned home to see their families over Christmas, one had decided not to do so. Isadora had insisted not to, making up some vague excuses to keep her parents away. Much to her surprise, they had worked, and she was allowed to stay in Los Angeles for the 'holidays' as Michael had called them.

Her mother had planned her to stay in a hotel – Isa wasn't sure what her mother thought about her plans but she _had_ agreed, and that was all that mattered – but Isadora wasn't staying there. Jason had lots of free space now that he got rid of Katerina, including enough for Isadora to stay. He had been more than willing to give her an excuse to stay in Angeles.

In the evening of the second day of the holidays, Isadora was looking at the skyline of Angeles. She had to admit – she had been staring at her phone about the whole evening. Jason's shift was over – he had to be home any second. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Behind her, the door _finally_ opened. "Isadora?" It was Jason.

With a happy smile – what was with her? Did she like his presence that much? Impossible! – Isadora turned around and left the balcony in favour of stepping into the living room. She smiled, briefly adjusting her outfit.

"You look great," Jason said. He blushed. Cute, Isadora thought.

"Thanks," Isa replied, but looked aside with equally blushing cheeks. Hopefully the foundation would cover that up, she thought. "You mentioned some… plans?" she asked shyly.

"Oh, yeah," Jason nodded. "Rho mentioned that she heard that you've never been to a zoo. The zoo nearby is doing a show on some animals this evening, and I was wondering if you'd like to come?" He paused, looking aside. "… Okay, now that I'm saying it out loud, it sounds stupid…"

Isadora rolled her eyes. How had Rho gotten that information? Michael probably told Rihanna who told the others in return, she thought, but couldn't help but wonder why _that_ was the thing Michael had taken away from their 'adventure'. Isadora had just gotten another thing to have nightmares of… At least the therapist was now residing in Angeles and she was in good care, huh?

"No, no!" Isadora called out – faster than she would have liked to. "It's great, really!" She smiled. "I would love to go to the zoo with you," she added.

"Really? Great, cool!" Jason ruffled through his hair awkwardly. "I was worried already… Just… just give me a moment to change out of my work clothes and all, and then… we can…" Jason began moving.

Isadora chuckled. Cute, she thought again. The blonde dropped onto the sofa next to her, a soft smile remaining on her lips. Spending the holidays here in Angeles was the best decision she had made. Jason had shifts over Christmas, so he couldn't go home to his family, and she had someone to stay with. He soon returned in a much more casual outfit. It was interesting to hang around him – Isadora liked her style, but Jason's casual style contrasted her _a lot_.

He returned and invited Isadora to come with him. He probably would have tried to cook something – Isadora and Jason both were terrible at that – but they decided to get take away and then move on to the zoo, eating it when they got there.

"How was your day?" Isa asked her … well, she couldn't say friend anymore, she guessed.

"Nothing bad on my side," Jason said relieved. It was a long day, and he was still quite tired. "Just what was planned, I suppose. I've heard some stories from other parts of the hospital though."

"Tell me," Isa encouraged him.

"Well, apparently, in the pit," Jason began speaking.

"Pit?"

"Hospital slang, sorry." Jason laughed nervously before stopping at a red light. "ER. A single father came with his thirteen years old daughter, both panicking. They thought she was dying."

"What happened?"

"She got her first period."

Isadora broke into laugher. "You're not serious!"

"I wasn't there myself, but I think that's what happened," Jason answered. "It might wasn't as bad as I was told though."

"That's unbelievable," Isadora said, still chuckling. "Tell me more. That can't be the only thing that happened."

"It was a rather quiet day," Jason answered. "Otherwise, I think there was another case of "I know it better than the doctor" and "Google says so, I just want the meds Google told me to get", but that's it. I think there was someone trying to accuse someone doing CPR of sexual assault though."

Isadora rolled her eyes. "Impossible," she muttered.

"Welcome to my life," Jason laughed, turning onto the zoo's parking lot. "Never become a doctor, I guess."

"I wasn't planning to," Isadora chuckled and opened her door in order to leave the car. She rose, making sure that the hat she was wearing to avoid people from recognising her. Yeah. That was the one issue in her fairy tale of a winter break. She had to make sure that no one saw her, or Jason would get to deal with yet another nightmare of a PR disaster. Oh, also, her mother would kill her.

"So, where do we go?" she asked her date. The zoo was rather empty – it was dark, and it would probably close soon, save for the show, Jason had mentioned.

"We still have some time, so shall we go and see some animals?" Jason suggested. "Anything where you'd like to go to?"

"I… I wouldn't know," Isadora answered.

"Then let's go and see the dolphins? I like dolphins." Jason paused awkwardly. "This sounds strange, doesn't it?" he asked, looking aside once again nervously. He opened his mouth to say anything anymore.

"No, why would it be?" Isadora laughed amused.

"I… I don't know," Jason stuttered. "I think I'm… nervous? You could be spending your time on better things. Better people, I suppose… You _are_ competing for a prince!"

Isadora gave him a smile. "No need to. I'm glad to be here with you, Jason."

"That's nice," Jason smiled nervously. Isadora couldn't help to chuckle again. Maybe that was to cover up her own awkwardness, but Jason didn't react too well to it. "I'm- I'm sorry," she quickly said. "You're just… cute."

"Thank you…?" Jason said.

They reached the basin with dolphins in it – the sea animals were being fed by a zoo keeper. Isadora leaned over the railing to see the animals better. The dolphins were trying to get most food of the zoo keeper on the other side of the basin, meaning that they were far away from them.

"They're cute," Isadora giggled, leaning over a little more.

"Yeah, they are," Jason agreed – although less enthusiastic as Isadora.

She felt like a little child again, trying to make the animals notice her. Her right hand already touched the water. Maybe they could come back later, when the animals weren't fed anymore? Or she could ask the keeper if she could feed them too? She smiled at the thought, and leaned forward a bit more. "Come here!" she called out.

Splash.

And fell into the basin. Thank god that her mother hadn't pulled her out of the swimming lesson for whatever reasons, but the water was rather cold. No. _Freaking_ cold. She was wearing boots, a skirt and in general – her outfit was _not_ made to swim in it!

"Isa?! Are you alright?!" Jason called out – she could hear his voice as she gasped for air.

Isadora didn't respond immediately, she tried to gain orientation first. She trembled, before looking up to Jason – he was shocked. "Uh, kind of?" She eventually responded while trying to keep herself afloat. Her black hat was floating next to her, but her clothes probably were ruined either way.

"Wait, let me see if I can…" Jason turned around, looking for someone to help her to get out of the water. Isadora, keeping herself afloat, looked around herself as well, and eyes a latter nearby. Grabbing her hat (maybe it could still be worn?), she swam to it and pulled herself up.

"I'm fine," she told Jason. "Kind of. I need a change of clothes…" She bit on her lip. "Sorry…" They'd miss the show if they drove back and got her a change of clothes…

"It's fine. It's fine," Jason quickly replied. "Take off the coat. It'll cool you down more otherwise."

Isadora nodded, and handed Jason he wet coat. "That's why I've got you with me," she joked. "My doctor to go." She bit on her lip – did he consider that as bad? He seemed like the person to misunderstand that…

Jason fortunately laughed. "I have a change of clothes in the car, in case something happens at work. We could get them and be back in time for the show?" He suggested. "I don't know if it fits you though…" He looked aside again, embarrassed.

Quickly, Isadora intercepted. "We can try!" She said positively. "Let's get them."

The outfit – just a sweater, and a pair of pants – was a bit too large for her, but large enough. Jason was worried that she might freeze since her boots were wet, but Isadora insisted that it was fine. The sweater was comfy in its own way, and it wasn't too cold in Los Angeles today.

"Are you sure you aren't too cold?" Jason asked worried.

Isadora nodded with a smile. "I'm fine, Jason. Calm down. Let's just go and enjoy the show… You still haven't told me which animals it's about!"

"Parrots," Jason replied immediately, beaming. "I'm sorry, but I really, really like parrots. They're cute."

"Then let's go!' She took his arm and began pulling him back to the zoo. People probably had seen hr by now, but Jason ha made up the excuse that he had a year pass, and that Isadora needed him to go to the zoo. Plus, the zoo was empty, and she was using her hat again – just in case, even if it was wet.

And even if someone recognised her and posted about it, she'd have a good excuse to get out of the Selection. As fun as everyone was and all, she liked Jason more… Though, she realised, if that was to happen, her parents would probably pull her home. She wouldn't be able to see him anymore.

"What are you thinking about?" Jason asked.

"What I'd do if anyone recognised me and all," Isadora mumbled. "I… I don't really care about the Selection, but I do want to stay in Angeles…"

"Rho made a deal with Michael," Jason remembered. "She'll stay in the Selection as long as possible, but when they go on 'dates', they just do nonsense. I think that she used one of their 'dates' to visit his sister. You could talk to him about that, maybe?"

Isadora looked into Jason's face. That sounded about like the absolute ideal solution! "That sounds like a good idea," she said, and stopped. "That… It really sounds like something that'd work!" She would get her parents away from her too! "I'll do that when I have a chance."

Jason smiled. "That's…" He hesitated. "I… Why…. Why do you want to stay in Angeles?"

She blushed. Genuinely blushed. What was up with her? "You," Isadora whispered. There was no denying to it, she told herself. What was up with her? She _liked_ Jason. Or more. With a faint smile, she leaned in for the kiss.

How strange, she'd later think. How much she changed ever since she came to Angeles. She wouldn't have expected herself to ever accept herself having another boyfriend again before, but now?

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Zero To Hero**


	40. Zero to hero

**40**

 **Zero to Hero**

This was, well, strange. Understandable, but strange.

Tilly glanced over the magazine for another time. Isadora was first. Why? Isadora was first. She had gone up from seventh to first. Just because people believed that since she hadn't left the Selection after the whole episode prior the Christmas break. And Rihanna? Seriously? Why had she gone up? Just because the Schreaves had taken Silvestre and Rihanna to their Christmas break like they always did? She bit on her lip. Would being pushed down to third affect her chances? Michael didn't look at the numbers, she reminded herself, but then again – their last date had been nice, but… was he just polite?

She pulled one of the pillows in the Women's Room closer to herself. The day wasn't that young – the girls' lessons had ended what? Half an hour ago? Tilly didn't focus at all. They had spoken about the Schreave family, previous monarchs, discussed the transition into a constitutional monarchy and the debacle around Eikko Koskinen who was forced by the public to ultimately take on the Schreave name, following protests of the upper class and threats to overthrow the newly established government. History had been one of her favourite subjects, and discussing the history of the royal family was easy to her, but she just hadn't been able to focus today.

Africa and Tate were chatting about TV series next to her. At some point, Tilly had been part of the conversation, but when Cecilia had dropped the magazine in front of her, her attention had faded away from it. Rho was reading a book, Kath was chatting with her friends back home. Isadora and Rihanna were nowhere to be found – Rihanna had left after the lesson to meet her mother for whatever reason, and Tilly missed Isadora leaving.

"Tilly?" Africa pulled her out of her thoughts. "What are you reading?"

"Just the newest popularity results," Tilly responded and handed Africa the magazine. She had seen enough. Enough to bother with it in general. It was just the first day back, and uh, she groaned in her mind. She'd need to do something. Maybe she could ask Michael for a date? Show initiative?

"Oh, look! Our group's occupying the top three," Tate said with a smile. "I moved up again too, to eleventh."

"What about me?" Africa asked curious. "Oh, I'm still ninth? Boring."

The two laughed, gaining the other girls' interest. "What's up?" Kath asked.

Tate proceeded to explain what Tilly had found. "You're sixteenth now – you moved up! Same for you, Rho – you're fifteenth now. Cecilia dropped to eight, and…" She began talking about the other twelve selected that were still left, but Tilly turned off. She was frustrated, to say the least.

As if that summoned her, Isadora – alongside Rihanna and Emilia, now on crutches, she was making progress – came in. They were followed by Silvestre. What was up with them? Did they need to remind her that Isadora apparently was everyone's new favourite? What was Michael thinking? Did he and Isadora actually develop a connection or so?

"Everyone, please pay attention for a moment." Silvestre's voice carried well through the room. She commanded attention immediately by dropping her voice's volume. "I have news." Silvestre's news were important, so of course, everyone payed the woman attention. Why else would Silvestre come into the Women's Room otherwise? She always seemed to be working.

"What's up?" Tate asked curious.

Silvestre paused, allowing everyone to pay her attention properly. "Isadora's family has invited everyone, including a few other people, to their residence in Los Angeles." Tilly bit on her tongue. Ouch. This wasn't good. Probably impressive an all. "While there is nothing forcing you to attend, I'm sure you all will do so. From what I know and have heard, they usually have very… exquisite receptions and parties."

Emilia smiled at the girls. She had taken a seat nearby, but nonetheless seemed to be wanting to say something. "Plus, these… evening receptions, parties, whatever you'd like to call them, are fairly common among the upper class elite in Illéa."

"A result from what we talked about this morning," Rihanna added. "Emilia and Michael will be coming to – so if you ned help, you know who to bug."

"I genuinely hope you won't do that," Silvestre chided.

"I'm sure they won't," Emilia chortled. "They'll be fine. The Bonovich family know."

"… How come now?" Kath wondered out loud.

For an answer, Silvestre turned to Isadora. "Isadora can explain that best, I suppose."

Isadora shrugged. Ah, good, she was just as bored as usual, Tilly thought. "My parents are in Los Angeles for work, and my little brother is visiting too, so they thought it would be a nice idea," she mocked.

Whenever Silvestre noticed Isadora's disapproval or not, she didn't show. She stated the date, time, and dress code. She finished, briefly apologising for the interruption. As Silvestre left the room, Tilly's three friends joined the other girls again. Rihanna clearly decided that Emilia would come along – the other girls looking disapproving.

"I get to dress you all again?" Africa beamed, half as a joke, half serious.

"I sure hope so!" Rihanna chatted. "Hey, Emmy, Africa's really good with fashion and all. We should-"

"Check out my closet." Emilia finished Rihanna's sentence with a sweet mile. "Of course you can. Everyone can, as a matter of fact. I have enough clothes I probably won't wear again." She rose her voice for everyone to hear. It should make her happy, Tilly thought. Dress up as a real princess. Like in a fairy tale… But no, she couldn't help but think that she'd prefer her good old tulle clothes. Not necessarily old, but she couldn't help but think that she wouldn't find anything in the princesses' closet.

Plus, they had a week time. She'd come up with something, Tilly assured herself. She'd change her mind, and that down mood would disappear. She'd be happy, bubbly and all again. All was going to be good.

"How nice," she told Emilia, with a lukewarm smile. Bitterness filled her heart.

* . * . *

With a grim smile, Othilia Joyce looked into the mirror.

The dress she was wearing looked like a bit of thin tulle. Usually, she worse skirts with tens and hundreds of tulle, but this one had only one or two. Like a ghost, she thought. The dress looked like a ghost. Her hair wasn't well done yet. She had tried to get rid of the curls, but it hadn't worked perfectly.

"Everyone else is with the Princess," she reminded herself. She'd join them, and check out the jewelry the princess offered to borrow them. See what Isadora would chose. See what Rihanna would chose. See what Cecilia would chose. Maybe also Katherine. These girls were the best choices to be a princess. They had grown up among the elite and rich—Rihanna next to the prince and princess herself!—while Tilly had grown up among snow. She wasn't going to lose to them.

"I want to be a princess," she thought bitter. "I want to be the One."

The dress she worse was not her style. She had found it in a sore in an alley in the morning when she had gone to look for a dress to wear. The reception, as everyone had come to call it, would be tomorrow already, and this time, Tilly would dress like Isadora did. She wanted the prince to notice her.

She slipped into the white heels she intended to wear and gave herself a final glance. A part in her wanted to scream "This isn't you!" but most of her wanted to win. She had been first once. She was going to take that back. Cold chills ran down her spine. She took another deep breath. This dress was embarrassing and honestly? Slutty. But if it was that what took it…

"Here I go," she spoke, more to herself than to anyone else.

Othilia stepped into the empty hallway, noticing that it was empty. The heels she worse echoed on the floor. She knew the way to Emilia's suite – she had made sure to memorize it before changing. As she stepped further and further, she could hear the chatter of the girls, asking if "that one" fitted their hair or dress. She took a deep breath again—she was trembling too much. This was nerve wrecking and—

Flash. Click.

Tilly nearly stumbled over her long skirt to see what had happened. Cecilia stood, in casual clothes clearly, only meters away. She was holding a smartphone in her hand, and from what it seemed to be, she just had taken a photo of the brunette.

"What are you doing?!" Tilly asked.

"Oh, nothing," Cecilia lied. She didn't bother to look up as she seemed to be typing something.

"You're lying!"

"Maybe," Cecilia shrugged. "But who cares?"

"Did you take a photo of me?" Tilly croaked. A photo of her? Usually fine. But in this dress? She stumbled back. "You aren't allowed to do that!"

"Correction," Cecilia taunted. "I'm not allowed to leak it outside. Show people in the palace? No issue."

"But—" Tilly broke off. What was there to argue? She knew the rules. Cecilia knew the rules. There was no debate about it, and if even, Cecilia had a law degree and probably was better at finding loopholes than Tilly was.

Cecilia seemed far too happy—just because she took a photo of her—but then again, Tilly still was ahead of her, so maybe it was because of what? Understandable. She had something that might get her into difficult situations, and it'd give Cecilia an advantage.

Tilly bit on her tongue. "What—" She shook her head. "What in the world was I thinking? I look terribly stupid! This… this is stupid. Ridiculous!" A first tear left her left eye. She watched Cecilia stroll away, not knowing how desperate she had gotten. Both had. Another tear fell down. "What did I do?"

Like a stone, the whole reality of the situation hit. Of course—she had been stupid. Stupid, childish. Believing that this would somehow—anyhow—give her a better chance. It just took one person to see her to make Tilly realize how terribly embarrassing this was. Another tear, and another one. She wanted to think "At least it wasn't Michael," but that wasn't helping. Cecilia had made her intention clear—she was going to show everyone the photo. Everyone definitely included Michael. What was she going to say?

"Tilly? Are you alright?" Another cold chill down her spine – that voice belonged to the Illéan crown prince.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Tilly sobbed.

"… You're crying? Not exactly the definition of fine?" Michael titled his head, confused. "Aren't you girls robbing Emmy's closet?"

"I… uh… I…"

"Isn't there the Bonovich thing?"

Tilly nodded. "Yes…"

"Did something happen with them?" Michael paused. "Anything like Mayli again?" He seemed to suppress a groan – he was cringing for sure.

"Kind of," Tilly muttered. She didn't want to snitch but… She looked up to the visibly confused prince. Going by Rihanna, he didn't like Cecilia, so how would he react positively? She wasn't that calculating—she had no idea!

Michael sighed helpless. "If you want, you can tell me," he offered.

Tilly nodded between sobs. She felt stupid to waste his time like this, but at the same time… Why not? "I… Cecilia took a photo from me, without asking."

"Mean," Michael muttered. "Hug? I dunno—they help me."

Gladly, Tilly accepted the invitation. He didn't mind, and she didn't. She couldn't tell him why she dressed like this in the first place—that was embarrassing!—but maybe she could figure out something else she could do, she thought. Tell him an alternative version? What?

"I'll try to talk to Silvestre. And Greene. Cecilia is ridiculous."

"Like the mean girl from movies!" Tilly suggested with a slight chuckle between her sobs.

"Exactly!" Michael laughed out. "Is there—" he broke off.

"Hmm?" Tilly slowly looked up. "Is… is something?"

"Is there a reason you don't like photos of you taken?" the prince carefully asked. "I mean, no need to tell me, but I know that feeling… You seemed fine until now," he added.

"Oh… No… This…" Tilly blushed. "I… I… I wanted to… I… uh…" She couldn't stop herself from stuttering.

"Yes?"

"… I wanted to… This dress," she sobbed.

"Yes?"

"… I wanted to look better. Like Isa. She's so popular, all out of the sudden. I… I don't want to lose to her and Rihanna and…"

Michael mustered her, trying to stop himself from looking to obvious. "Hey, Tilly, don't worry," he insisted. "You don't need to worry too much about popularity. Who even cares about these stupid magazines?" he asked.

"Everyone," Tilly sobbed.

"No, not everyone. I haven't seen Emilia touching them once. I haven't seen my father or Greene looking at them, or talking about them," he insisted. "Silvestre only looks at them because it's her job. You don't need to worry about them… Although, I gotta admit, you look like the ghost from that one movie with Kath's sister-in-law," he laughed, trying to lift the mood. "Plus, you looked incredible during the Halloween Ball."

"But… that was so much thanks to Africa," Tilly opposed. "The make-up, the nail polish and my hair? She helped so much…"

"But whose idea was it?" Michael asked.

"Mine, but…"

"You are the only one who reference their home. This is, kind of, a competition for the throne of Illéa. You were the only one to really reference your home. That was unique, and you also looked beautiful. Majestic… I'm, by far, not the best one, but do you want me to try to help you with your outfit?"

"… If you wouldn't mind, yes," Tilly forced herself to sob for a moment, trying to smile at him. Maybe this was going to end up good afterall?

* . * . *

Africa couldn't lie – the dress the Illéan princess had chosen looked beautiful. But that wasn't what pulled her eyes to her. It wasn't the light blue heels (against which Rihanna protested, worried that Emilia couldn't hold herself standing) or the beautiful silver necklace with sapphires, or the earrings with blue sapphires and white diamonds. It was the breathtaking tiara that the Illéan princess wore on her head as the girls were given free rein on the endless closet and jewellery she owned.

"Are you not worried that something will be lost?" she asked the princess. Africa had already taken a look at the jewellery, but nothing fitted the taste and style she was going for. Like most girls, she was already wearing her dress—a red two piece showing her midriff—for the coming reception event, trying out the way she'd wear. She had taken one ring, with a black stone that glimmered red-blue-green and looked like taken from a fantasy movie, but otherwise? She was fine with the feather earrings and necklace. Emilia seemed to call it "Obsidian's eye", going by what she wrote down.

"Not really, no," Emilia shook her head. "Rihanna is watching them like a watch dog, and she knows them just as well as I do."

"Does she?" Africa asked surprised.

"We practically grew up as sisters," Emilia responded with a sweet smile. "She's… like a sister. More."

The blonde stood, just as Emilia described, like a watch dog. A wine red dress that was taken from her best friend's closet too, she wasn't wearing jewellery that seemed to be Emilia's though. At least, she had brought it herself.

"Where did she get the necklace and the earrings?" she asked.

"They are a gift from me," Emilia replied with a dreamy smile. "She used to remind me of roses. Beautiful but with thorns. When we were younger, I mean."

Africa wanted to ask more, but Emilia's glance to her best friend silenced her. She wasn't sure why, but this seemed better. Be silent, something told her. She mustered them for moment, before her attention fell to Rhosyn, who, wearing a dark green dress with black heels and the hairdo—a mix of a braid and a bun—Africa had made earlier.

"Would you mind if I borrow these?" she asked, showing Emilia a larger necklace with Swarovski, green emeralds and pearls, alongside a golden frame. Mainly box-shaped, with fitting earrings, Africa thought. She also showed her a hair clip with one green stone.

"Of course," Emilia nodded, scribbling words ("Rhosyn: Diamond's green tears necklace & earrings") into her notebook. "Why these?"

"They fit my dress," Rhosyn admitted. "I… It's very big for me, but I suppose it'll help keeping my parents away. If they think I play my role with socialising, then they'll not notice that…"

"You aren't really in the Selection anymore—Michael and I talk a lot," the princess assured her. "What do you think of the others' dresses?" she inquired curious.

"I like Tate's dress," Africa said, looking at the marine blue fish dress with silver strings on her back. She had suggested her to wear the marine blue pumps with silver glitter; they had been the best fitting they could find, although the gold bothered her. Silver would have fitted better. "I'm happy with the hairdo, I made too."

"I think she'd going for a brooch with flower pattern. One with blue and silver stones, and silver metal. And a bracelet in a similar style." Rho added.

"Oh, I remember them." Emilia nodded. "It'd fit well," she agreed, scribbling "Tatiana: sapphire-silver lily brooch & bracelet?".

As they continued to watch and comment (Africa was glad to hear that Emilia shared Rihanna's opinion on Cecilia; she came to ask to borrow a pair of pearl earrings and a shell necklace hat looked very large and expensive, wearing lavender pumps with stones set on them and a long dress in lavender, with a beautiful veiled-like sleeve and bird and tree patterns. Emilia revealed only later that neither of the two pieces were real jewellery—she had made them when she was younger in kindergarten), Katherine joined them.

"Anything you'd like, Katherine?" Emilia asked curious.

"Not really, no," Katherine was wearing an orange dress, fitting shoes and feather earrings as well, but while Africa's feathers were black, Katherine's were red and orange. She was wearing a golden necklace with one pink-orange-golden stone too, but apparently not from Emilia. "I'm fine with what I have. I'm just here for the chatting and all. Have you seen Isadora?"

"I think she's doing her own thing again," Africa explained. "I suppose she just feels like that's her freedom. I saw her in a purple dress though, earlier. She seems to be going for something in that direction."

"That's fine," Emilia chuckled, and fell silent. Girls continued to join them, asking to borrow pieces which she faithfully noted down (including further nicknames for them), before they left. Eventually, numbers died down to only a few girls left. Rihanna continued to watch.

"Why aren't there any more tiaras?" Rho asked curious. "I've only seen yours."

Emilia placed the tiara on her lap, mustering it careful. With it, she looked like a queen. "In most monarchies – Britain, Swendway, all those that descend from pre-third world war monarchies, it is a custom that anyone may wear one, as long as they are married. They are symbols of being taken, for them. It's also used in Asian countries, I believe, but I am not sure. Most European monarchies that came to be following the third and fourth world war have adapted that culture, but Georgy Illéa, when founding the Illéan monarchy, didn't do lots of research, as we know today. The Illéan monarchy made many things thought to be impossible in the theocracies of the old world," the princess tod. "Among them is that men wore crowns just as often as women worse theirs, and that only Ones born or married into the royal family could do so. I… Michael and I both think that, considering the difference in the position's origin between our family and, for example, the Windsors, it'd be polite towards them to adept their traditions, but father opposes. The British monarchy is, per se, a theocracy. Their King rules by the grace of god. The Illéan sovereign doesn't. By the right of conquest, you could say. But that's why I most of the tiaras I inherited from mother or own myself are safely locked away. I just don't use them, but father insisted I take them."

"There's a lot history behind that, huh?" Rho remarked, not having gasped all the princess meant. "Good that I won't need to deal with that."

Emilia chuckled. "Yes, I don't understand why people would want to, if they had the choice." She glanced to her best friend and the other girls, still busy with the jewellery. A hint of sadness filled her expression. "… Where is Tilly?"

Africa looked up. She hadn't seen her yet. "She was weird, the last days," she remarked. "But, I haven't see her today…"

* . * . *

 **Michael:** Hey, do you know where mum's leaf-y earrings and that arm ring thingy are?  
 **Emilia:** What  
 **Emilia:** I just spend hours with the girls and jewellery. Be more specific.  
 **Emilia:** Most of it is with mine, or in the vault. Which one are you referring to?  
 **Michael:** The arm ring with fleur-de-Lys on it. Do you call it that?  
 **Michael:** idk how you call these thingies  
 **Michael:** and the earrings that fit that.  
 **Emilia:** Come to my apartment. I'll show you what I have here.  
 **Michael:** kk  
 **Michael:** I'm pulling Tilly along tho.

 **Author's Note**

 **I really hope I managed to show what the stress of the competition is doing to Tilly. :) Also, this is low-key Abi's fault for pinning that dress. xD**

 **Next Chapter: Wildest Dreams**


	41. Wildest Dreams

**41**

 **Wildest Dreams**

Cecilia Stark didn't think this was special.

Most of the Selected seemed to, though. She knew Greene's list, even though she wasn't sure how much Greene knew of that. Greene had allowed Michael to drop some, no doubt. Most of them hadn't been useful for him, she presumed. Plus, most lived in Los Angeles or New York or other cities, meaning that overall, their chances were slimmer.

One of the reasons why Cecilia had elected to stay in Likely when her father first had brought up the possibility of using the Selection as method of distraction. From what she knew, no one of importance lived there. At least, no one of less importance than her father's daughter. Sure, the whole attack on the parliament had been a nightmare, but at least she had been warned far ahead of anyone, and made preparations.

Seeing most of the girls giggling and laughing, chatting and all embarrassed her, but she couldn't help but remember that she herself had gotten rather… desperate. Isadora Bonovich. Rihanna Lorde. Othilia Joyce. It had been ages since she last spoke to them, aside of Othilia, and that was probably for a reason.

She was alone. With Mayli gone, and her other 'friends' too, she was left alone.

"I made a miscalculation, I know," she muttered to herself. "I should have befriended with Rihanna's clique." But she had been too nervous and on the edge on the first day, and made a terrible impression with her. Now Rihanna and her buddies basically adopted Emilia into her friend group.

Cecilia glanced at the blonde princess who was leaving the black car after her brother, who clumsily tried to help her—probably making things worse in the process. She glanced to their friends, chatting and talking. Of course, being twenty-two people, the travel from the palace to the Bonovich's residence had taken multiple cars. Only one of their friends was missing.

The one that frightened her the most.

"It was a reflex," she thought and straightened her back—as if that anyhow helped to avoid her nervousness. After their encounter, she hadn't seen Othilia anymore. Not at dinner, lessons or lunch. Rumour had it that she had been with Michael—careless, Cecilia thought. If they had been together during the evening _and_ the lesson period, then he openly favoured one of the girls.

He was, obviously. Had Cecilia done a bit of research, she'd know that Tilly had accompanied Michael to a fundraiser for a rescue dog charity (rather boring for Tilly and Mike, but part of the job), hence her missing in the morning.

The final car finally arrived. It surprised Cecilia that the two royals hadn't arrived last, but she wasn't going to question that. Probably some reason she missed. They wouldn't dare to break protocol like this. Even Michael wouldn't, not with the positive influence of his sister. Bad enough that he broke protocol in other ways.

Most of the girls were boring. She had seen their dresses and vague plans when they had been in Emilia's apartment. Nothing special, but she wondered where Othilia was. She hadn't been with Michael—making Cecilia feel guilty about what she had done—and she hadn't seen her ever since. Maybe she should apologise…? Cecilia once again straightened her back. Yes. She should. The strong ones can admit their faults, she remembered her father saying.

Othilia wasn't wearing the slutty dress from before though. The dress she wore instead was white with a touch of crème, made of multiple layers and had a pattern of heart-shaped flowers, alongside off-shoulder sleeves and a fitting necklace. From Emilia, Cecilia recognised it. Tilly's dress was at the borderline to ball gown, or even reminded her of the basic idea for a wedding dress. It wasn't—no one could say that Tilly wanted to imply that—but Cecilia couldn't help but think of it.

"She looks good," Emilia remarked, phrasing out what Cecilia thought.

Tilly was, just like everyone before her, received by a storm of camera flashes that visibly frightened her in the first second. She wasn't used to it yet, huh? Yet, once the brunette had caught herself, she briefly waved at the cameras, flashing an arm ring with flower and tendrils, and the flower-like bun, someone had made her. Probably Oaks, who seemed to like doing that.

"Is that what you wanted them for? Mum's leaf bracelet and the earrings, I mean?" Emilia whispered to her brother, just loud enough for Cecilia to hear it.

"Yeah," her brother responded.

It was… what?! Cecilia forced herself not to scream. The camera's attention returned to Isadora—still everyone's favourite after people suspected her and Michael to have bound over the kidnapping—apparently, none of them had made the connection between the late queen and the bracelet. Cecilia didn't recognise it either, but it _meant_ something. Everyone had gotten to borrow one of the princess, but Othilia Joyce had gotten one from the queen.

"Michael, you know that she isn't the—"

Emilia was hushed by her brother. "I know."

What? What were they talking about? What wasn't Tilly? Why had she been able to borrow the bangle? Why hadn't the others? Did Michael know of the photo incident? Cecilia walked towards Tilly who was still talking to the other girls.

"Othilia?" she spoke loudly. _Now, lower your voice, to establish respect from them to you._ "Would you mind sparing me a minute?" Cecilia spoke, with a strong, stable voice hiding her shaking fingers. It was a cold January day, she lied to herself.

"… What." Tilly's smile disappeared when she saw Cecilia, but the other girls, left them the second they realised that Alexander Stark's daughter wanted to talk to Tilly. At least that had still meaning…

Cecilia focused to keep her voice calm, low. Respectable. Even though her muscles tensed, she didn't want her to see that. "I wanted to apologise for yesterday," she said. "What I did was wrong and mean, and I shouldn't have done that. I've deleted the image—" A lie, but she'd do that later. "—and I won't do that again. I promise."

She wasn't sure how to read the brunette's expression. Was that an "I accept it despite not wanting to" or an "I refuse"? She had no chance to ask, or for Othilia to say anything—the Bonovichs arrived to greet them.

* . * . *

Alexandria Bonovich never failed to disappoint.

Be it with the reception that equalled the welcome banquet or any other event, Isadora had ever visited, Alexandria (or whoever she had tasked) had planned an event of equal fanciness. After a brief address by the hostess, the girls were invited to join the other guests. Anyone who had a name and was friends with her, including Tatiana's mother whom she immediately avoided.

A part of Isadora wanted to feel sorry, but she was primarily occupied with being confused. Confused because Alexandria Bonovich didn't ignore her as usually. A tiny part of her wanted to be happy about it.

"And this is my dear daughter, Yelyzaveta." Alexandria had pulled her with her, towards people who apparently were important. Isa couldn't explain it any otherwise.

"Uh, hi?" She didn't come up with a cold or sarcastic remark, or even mentioned that she preferred Isadora. The 'dear' was, well, dumbfounding her. There was nothing in her head but the question what in the world had happened.

The conversation with Important Person #1 and Important Person #2 didn't last longer than a brief moment before her mother pulled her to the next people. And the next people. And more people. Isadora lost track of the adjectives her mother suddenly used for her. Dear, beloved, talented, sweet. She lost track of what her mother called her, and what else she said.

"Uh, I'm going to go and see my friends…" Isadora pushed her mother's arm away—for some reason, her mother had put her arm around her. She shivered. This was weird. Awkward. Strange. What in the world was going on? Since when did her mother _like_ her?

She spotted Tatiana, Katherine and Rhosyn in the crowd, and immediately headed over to them. They were talking among each other; probably because Rho seemed to be exhausted by the people, and annoyed by it. Understandable.

"Are you alright?" Tatiana asked when Isadora stepped next to the three.

" _I_ am fine," Isadora responded. "I'm not so sure about my mum though.

"What's with her?" Kath turned around to find Alexandria Bonovich, who was standing next to Cecilia and some other important looking people.

" _She's nice_." Isadora pulled her back, worried that her mother might notice them staring. "Like, nice to me. Not the fake nice play to others, but nice to me. And even when we were alone, she was all "Aww, you look so beautiful. I'm so proud," and "you've done so well, darling". What's up with her?!"

Rho glanced over to Alexandria as well. "That's meant to be normal, Isa," she muttered. Was that disbelief in her voice? Was she not believing her?!

"Not her normal!"

"… That's strange, I agree," Tatiana whispered wary. "My mum does the same… Maybe… Where's Tilly?"

"What has Tilly to do with this? Isn't she all love-happy-rainbow with dogs?"

"I'll look for her and ask…" Tatiana muttered, losing herself in her thoughts. She glanced around herself again, heading away for where she probably expected Tilly to be. She walked off, leaving Isadora confused, and her friends looking at Isa for an explanation.

"I… What?" She had none.

"I don't know either," Kath muttered. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Isadora replied. "I mean, I don't expect anyone to explain anything."

"Understandable…" Rho paused. "Is that your father there?"

Rho was right—she was pointing towards Victor Bonovich who, as Isadora was used to, wasn't too interested in his wife's socialising and chatter. Isa was surprised that he wasn't talking to people to make business deals or something.

"Good evening." Kath was the first to greet the businessman.

Victor Bonovich nodded at them. "Good evening, ladies," he replied.

"… How can I help you?" Isa asked wary.

"Nothing in particular, dear." Well… So he was also on the suddenly-act-nice trip? Isadora tensed. She wasn't going to fall for this. She had gone through this all with her ex-boyfriend, and had no desire to go through it again. No need. No. No. No. No. No. "I was talking to your mother a bit ago, and I just want you to now that I am proud of you." He was lying. Lying. Lying. Lying. He always loved Anton and Nazar more than her. It was always Anton, then Nazar, and then her. Always. That wasn't going to change. Not because of any reason. No. No. No. They had been the ones to shout at her through the phone after the charity events. No. No. No.

"I was talking to your mother too," Victor continued as Isa kept reminding herself that something was wrong. Wrong. Terribly wrong… Right? She wasn't going to be that lucky, and all problems would just disappear. No. That didn't happen to her. Never. No… "She was wondering if, after the Selection of course, you'd be interested in meeting one of her friends." Ha! There it was! "He works with the Royal Illéa Ballet, but also as ballet teacher, and…" She didn't hear him finishing the explanation.

She didn't need to.

The tiny part of her that wanted to be happy about the sudden change in her parents' personality? It wasn't tiny anymore. It was all. Isadora smiled, and forgetting all the problems not-following-etiquette had caused her in her life, she launched herself at her dad, hugging him.

His reaction wasn't as expected. No criticism. Nothing but a friendly hug back. What in the world was happening?

Whatever was, Isa thought. She didn't mind.

* . * . *

Emilia quietly watched Isadora embracing her father with a smile on her face, next to her brother and secret girlfriend. The three just finished, successfully, talking to people. They were given a break.

"So, why exactly did you get Rhosyn's brother here?" Emilia asked her older brother.

"Oh," Michael laughed, "I ship them." Rihanna joined him; she knew what he meant.

"Them?" Emilia mustered the two.

"Isa and Jason," Rihanna replied. "You know how she stayed here in Angeles over Christmas? She stayed with Jason. Isa refuses to tell anyone, but we both believe that they're going to be a thing soon."

"But…" Emilia hesitated. "That's against the rules of the Selection."

Michael shrugged. "Who cares? No one asked me on my opinion either. I ship them…. We need a shipping name!"

"Hush," Rihanna kicked Michael. "IsaSon. Jasora? Yeah, we gotta work on that aspect, but… You get the deal, Emmy."

Emilia chuckled. "Sweet," she whispered. "But maybe not discuss that in public—especially not when Isadora doesn't seem to want to talk about it. Besides, look, Jason's approaching Isadora and her friends."

Emilia was right—just mere moments after Victor Bonovich had excused himself, Jason joined Rhosyn, Katherine and Isadora. After briefly hugging his sister and explaining that he presumed to have gotten an invitation for the sake of appearance, Isadora began telling him of what had just happened—as cheerful and happy as she never was before.

"Isn't that awesome?!"

Jason glanced to Kath—relatively cheerful (although not as much as Isadora)—and his sister—who rose an eyebrow. Good to see that he wasn't the only one questioning the sudden change in Isadora's parents' attitude.

"It is," he replied wary. Surprise and fear filled the eyes of his almost-girlfriend. She froze, looking at him like a patient that demanded answer on whenever he would die or not. Jason bit on his lip. "But why would they suddenly change?"

"I don't know," Isadora shrugged, "but why should I care? It's—dad cares! Mum suddenly likes me… Why would I mind that? Why would I—"

"Because from what you've told me about your parents, they won't just suddenly change into nice people, Isa." Jason sighed, wanting to place a hand on Isadora's shoulder. She pushed him away instead, with disbelief in her eyes.

"Why—why would you question that? They… This is what I want. Follow my dream. A loving family. Maybe I can even convince Nazar to come back home and…" She trailed off. "Why… Do you not want me to be happy? Do you not want my parents to care for me?!" Isa accused.

"Of course I do!" Jason rose his voice, but his sister hushed him. People were watching, and neither of them really needed that. They didn't need it at all.

"Then why—?!" Isadora shook her head. "Are you jealous? Jealous that there are other people in my life? Seriously!?"

"Jealous? What?!"

Isadora didn't go further—she turned around and shook her head. "Bye," she hissed, heading off into the crowd of visitors of the Bonovich family. Jason couldn't see where she was heading, but he bit on his lip.

"Jealous?" Kath rose an eyebrow.

"So… she stayed with you, you said," Rho stated, which probably answered any question Kath had. "There was more, I guess?"

Jason, nervously, moved his hand through his hair. "Uh… Yes. Kind of. Yes… Maybe… I don't know… I'm not sure."

"Well…" Kath looked around herself towards where Isadora had disappeared to. "I wonder how you're going to fix that though…"

"… I have no idea." Someone had to give her a reality check before she'd dive into the fantasy too deep, but he should have known better. He should have been more polite.

"Jason…" Kath bit on her lip. "I'd expect that Isa will go to her parents. As mean as it sounds, you should better leave now, before they might cause a scene…"

Jason clearly didn't want to leave Isadora alone—he hesitated and looked around, hoping to find her. However, he had to agree with Katherine. It was much more intelligent to leave now, avoid a scene and later on talk to her. Then she might also listen to him…

"You're right. I'll see you guys again."

"Bye… Good luck," Rho muttered unsure.

* . * . *

Meanwhile, Isadora was vaguely heading to her parents. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she was holding back tears. She had expected Jason to be happy. Supportive. Tell her that this was real, not some stupid dream or hallucination. Anything but telling her "they won't suddenly be nice'. Maybe the whole drama about the kidnapping and all had changed them?!

She called out her mother by the Ukrainian word for mother, but Alexandria Bonovich didn't immediately hear her.

"We have made very much progress today," Alexandria told her husband.

"I agree," Victor paused, and chuckled. How rare, Isadora thought, making another step towards them. "Well, then, _Your Majesty_ , may I suggest getting some champagne?"

Isadora stopped. What? Alexandria laughed—so it had been a joke!—and took her husband's hand. "Of course," she said. "I must say that we've done quite good work—the decision to send Yelyzaveta to the Selection wasn't as risky as I expected."

"Indeed," Victor nodded. "Plus, her befriending with Lilian Prescott's daughter turned out beneficial too. In the end, it is. I was considering discussing how to make business relationships with her later though. When she wins," A cold chill went down her spine. If she won. Won. She wasn't going to win. She wasn't planning to. Oh no. No. No. No. No, "then it would be helpful. A princess surely would make interesting contacts—it would be beneficial."

To make things worse, Alexandria nodded. "Are you sure, we need to risk such things though?" Alexandria complained. "Ballet… it is no occupation for a lady."

"Alexandria, you have seen the influence, Yelyzaveta has now already," Victor said, "but now imagine that with her being queen. I will not risk my business like that. I am sure you won't risk your social nonsense either. And even if—if she's married and does some dancing, it's not our problem anymore."

Her heart seemed to splitter apart once more. Jason had been right.

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Sorry**


	42. Sorry

**42**

 **Sorry**

The rest of the evening had been nice—for most of them. Isadora asked to leave early, claiming that she didn't feel all too well. It seemed to work, although she felt herself near tears when her parents once again pretended to care.

Tilly and Africa, having picked up Tatiana on the way, only learned of what happened after Isadora had left. Tate, who had gone to get Tilly to exactly ask what Jason had predicted—the Bonovichs being interested in Isadora thanks to her sudden eruption in popularity—agreed with them.

The moment the lessons ended, Isadora wanted to excuse herself and leave, but Rihanna and Rhosyn were holding her bag. "Hey, Isa, we had plans, right?"

"What?" Isadora, still shocked, asked.

"We were going to spend the day in the garden. You promised to come," Rihanna insisted. She was lying—they never had—but Isadora didn't need to know that.

"Where we?" Isadora bit on her lip. She had other plans. Save what she hopefully hadn't destroyed already. Jason. Maybe also talk to Michael, but the crown prince probably had other things to do.

"Yes, of course." Rihanna's smile was trained from endless days by the side of the princess. "We were going to go to the ballet afterwards."

What? That was new. Sure, she wouldn't mind but… Isadora bit on her lip. Why wasn't she just saying "No, I got better things to do"? Why couldn't she do that? Was the idea of breaking apart from her friends just as bad as the idea of losing Jason over her own stupidity? A cold shiver went down her spine. The idea was.

"Sure," She found herself saying, "I'll just get a jacket."

Scary, Isadora thought. It was scary how easily she had come to trust them. How easily they had gotten into her heart… Where was the wall of ice she had built? Why now? She sighed disappointed. She needed to apologise to Jason.

Without acknowledging Rihanna any more, Isadora moved to grab a jacket, and figure out how she could see him again without getting either of them into trouble. Apologising via phone wasn't… she didn't want to repeat the story of learning important things via text from her ex-boyfriend.

It was quite good weather. The garden of the palace was large, and from what Isadora had concluded, they were going to be alone. She tried to remember what they had planned, but it was futile. Going by her memory, no such plan existed—and she hadn't been drunk recently, so that couldn't be it.

"Isa! We're here!" Tilly called out, in her usually happy voice. Most of the girls were sitting on a blanket. Africa was holding her phone, seemingly busy with her phone and the speaker next to her. She was putting on music, Isa realised. Kath and Rho were reading books—Kath a Harry Potter book while Rho's book looked awfully like a textbook—and Tilly was petting Rock, Michael's dog. Rihanna and Emilia were the only girls not sitting on the blanket—they, probably because of Emilia's crutches—were sitting on a bench, eating popcorn. But there weren't only girls—Michael, Sam and Jason were also with them. The prince was with Tilly, her dog and Emmy's dog while Sam and Jason seemed to be talking.

"I'm coming," Isadora responded as the explanation dawned to her. Of course. She hadn't remembered these plans because they didn't exist. This was to get her and Jason together, but by whom? Who even knew?

Rho maybe? And from her, probably also Kath, and maybe Tatiana… Yeah… Isadora was touched. She couldn't deny that the idea of her friends organising this was touching. Sweet. But what in the world was Michael doing here? And Sam, and Emilia?

Jason rose when he saw her, and walked to her. "Isa, we—"

"We need to talk," Isadora nodded. "I know."

"Good, because I seriously didn't mean to upset you, but… I don't want you to get hurt."

"I…" Isa sighed. Of course he wouldn't want to. He wasn't Theo. He wasn't her ex-boyfriend. He was Jason. Her Jason. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like this," she said, looking aside. She hoped. Naively and like a child, that he could just forget it. That he wasn't upset and that things were just going to be fine. She wasn't that stupid though. "I… I was a jerk. I'm sorry," she added

"You didn't do that much," Jason insisted. "You reacted just like everyone would have. You want to have a happy family, and someone telling you that it was all a lie? Everyone would react the same." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and Isadora let him to so.

"We still need a shipping name!" Rihanna shouted as if she just found a cure to cancer. So it had been her to organise this all?

"You're right!" Michael's voice's volume seemed to upset Flora, Emmy's dog, but in the moment, he didn't seem to care. So… he knew? How?

Isadora pushed Jason aside, muttering an apology—she had no evil intend, just needed to see what was going on—and looked at the prince and Rihanna. Rihanna was still eating popcorn, but shrieked at the glance, Isadora gave her.

"Jasadora?" Michael suggested, ignoring the gaze. "Nah, that sounds weird. Ison? That sounds Swedish."

"… Anyone care to explain?" Isadora asked, back with the cold voice she was meant to have.

"I… might slipped to Rho that you were staying with me," Jason remarked sheepishly, "and they concluded the rest."

"Well, I ship it." Michael laughed, patting the dog nearby.

"Isn't—" Isadora stopped, not sure whenever she wanted to ask about the Selection or not.

"Hey, since, I think, everybody knows that by now," Michael remarked, still half laughing, "wanna do the same deal as I did with Rho?"

"Sure." Isadora's answer was faster than any of her mind, but honestly? Why not? It seemed ideal to her.

"Yes! Down to nineteen!" Michael announced, striking a weird victory pose (which the dog still half on him).

"I'm not sure whenever that is a good idea," Emilia scolded, the smile never disappearing from her face.

Michael leaned back, looking to his little sister. "I'm still looking for a way out, Emmy. I'll fine one. I swear."

He didn't see the pain in Tilly's face, but Isadora did. Michael also seemed too blind to see how reserved she remained for the rest of the time, they spend together outside. Isa knew that she should and could go and talk to her—the brunette's crush on the prince seemed to be obvious to anyone but him—but what should she say? She just got her boy, with all problems practically erased. It'd be unfair, and honestly? Isa had no idea on what to say.

Tilly was probably used to it now too.

* . * . *

The royal ballet was coming back to Angeles as anniversary, and as it turned out, Isa wouldn't even have needed her boyfriend to get her tickets since Emilia, Michael and the King had been invited, and had no issues with getting themselves a few more tickets.

The King was sitting out, something that none of the friends could understand completely. Michael guessed that it was his lack of interest in ballet (which he shared), or the fact that he probably wanted to push the spotlight at the Selection. Nothing too exciting had happened since the holidays after all…

Jason and Isadora were sitting alone though—because Jason had gotten him and her tickets among the commoners, as he jokily called it—and, when the intermission began, they were glad not to need to deal with reporters wanting their opinions on the performance.

She adjusted the white outfit she was wearing that Jason compared to a piece of art rather than clothing (to Isadora, it was both), and looked to him. "Thank you so much for taking me," she told him.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"Did I tell you that I always wanted to do ballet?" she wondered.

"Only that you liked watching it, but I assumed from what happened with your father," he replied, remembering their second meeting. "I know that you… Do you know that I have a friend at the royal ballet?"

"Yes? I do." She nodded. "Why is that?"

"… Once the Selection is over… I mean, why don't you stay in Angeles? I'm sure you wouldn't have problems with finding somewhere to live, considering your father's fortune, and if not… I mean, I'm always open for visitors… I could ask him for teachers—they you don't need to depend on your parents' goodwill."

"…" Isadora paused, looking aside. "That'd sound like a fairy tale."

The two continued chatting about this and these, but further away, in one of the balconies where the seven other Selected were sitting with the prince and princess, most of the visitors had gone to escape the reporters, leaving the two Schreaves alone. None of the six girl seemed to understand that they could close the small room they sat on the balcony.

The press kept bugging them onto Africa and Tatiana's parents—Sarafina Harolds, Tatiana's mother and Wallis Loveren's ex-wife, had revealed their relationship to the public. Until then, anything had just been a rumour but now… Alina Oaks took it the moment it reached public, turning it from a semi-scandal to a sweet love story. "The Selection: One romance secured already", they called it. Another thing Michael didn't want to bother with.

"We're alone," Emilia whispered when the reporters left them alone.

"You sound like from a horror movie."

"I'm more curious about the Selection than horror movies, really."

"Huh?" Michael looked to his sister. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone assumes I know what you're thinking, but honestly? We barely talked over Christmas," the princess replied, "and I have yet to know anything besides the fact that you don't like Cecilia."

Michael sighed uncomfortable. "Do we need to talk about it?"

"Yes." Emilia's voice sounded like their mother when Michael had done something stupid. " I dare to say that I am your closest trusted."

"I've got Sam, thank you?"

"Sam is working with Silvestre—now more than ever. When was the last time you had time to talk? From what I know, only before the holidays."

Michael bit on his lip. "There's… there's social media and so on. Chatting and, yeah…"

"You don't sound very convincing to me."

" _You_ don't understand."

Emilia sighed disappointed. How stubborn her brother could be. She took the glass standing by her side, took a sip and looked to the empty stage. She wanted—needed—to know what was going on in her brother's head, let alone because of what she and Rihanna were planning. The longer they kept quiet, the more she considered the offer and chance. Something clacked behind them.

"So…" She spoke, finally having found words. She was no player—she never cared too much about socializing, she preferred being with her friends and helping people in her way. Even if charity wasn't as helpful as she wished it to be, it was her way. But she needed to know. Not only for her sake, but also for Rihanna's. "Cecilia, Rihanna, Rhosyn and Isadora."

"What's with them?" her brother learned to her, curious.

"I'm just wondering about the Elite," Emilia explained. "I know that will end up including these four girls for sure," she added. "Who else?"

"Tilly," Michael begun listing, "probably Africa too. Tate is nice too, but… I don't know." He bit on his lip.

"What about Kath?"

"She's…" Michael bit on his lip. "Her too, yes, she's a good person…"

"I understand what you mean," Emilia said. "Katherine's nice but there's no chemistry?"

She mustered her brother. From what she knew, he hadn't had a girlfriend in ages, so it couldn't be that he was trying to dodge the thought because there was someone else. Had that been the case, Michael probably could have gotten her into the Selection like Rihanna had gotten in, and the whole wouldn't have been such an issue.

"Katherine is an intelligent woman. She looks good too, and from what I've seen, she is loyal and—" Michael stopped. He had heard something Emilia concluded, and he rose, trying to find the source of the sound. The door clicked behind them, and Emilia—careful and slow—rose to see what had happened.

"I think someone was listening," Michael hissed, more in fear than hatred. He hated the press, there was no doubt on that issue, but Emmy also knew how many issues they caused the crown prince.

"Which means…" Emilia sighed. "Do you want me to call Silvestre?"

There was hopelessness in her brother's eyes. "Yeah…"

He'd get to deal with them again. Because they never ever left him alone.

* . * . *

 **Eliza:** Hey Kath?  
 **Eliza:** What's up with this?  
 **Eliza:** theangelessun news/the-selection-elite-members-confirmed

It didn't even take the night for whatever reporter had listened to the Schreave siblings to release the clip of their conversation. Eliza, one of Kath's friend's from university, had send her a link to a gossip magazine that had published the audio file.

Kath had just been about to go to bed after their visit to the ballet. Confused she opened the link Eliza had send her. From The Angeles Sun, Kath remarked bitter. The magazine Mayli had contacts to. She couldn't help but wonder whenever this was just a coincidence or not.

"This evening… Crown Prince Michael, Princess Emilia and seven members of the Selection… visited the anniversary of… during the interval… the Michael and Emilia Schreave… were talking about the possible members of the elite… the conversation can be listened to in following audio file… confirmed members are Cecilia Stark, Rihanna Lorde, Rhosyn Reynolds, Isadora Bonovich, Othilia "Tilly" Joyce and Africa Oaks, alongside Tatiana "Tate" Loveren who has been deemed likely… however… the conversation also put Katherine Rhodes at the edge of elimination…" Katherine skimmed over the article, sitting down on her bed.

"… That sounds… surprisingly expectable." There wasn't really anything between her and the crown prince. Sure, by now, she had to admit that Michael was not as bad as the media portrayed him, but he wasn't the type of person she would like…

"There… there isn't that much of a reason for me to stay," she realized, not surewhat to think about it. She had no interest in the prince, and rather than hanging around in Angeles, she could start working. The experience here had been interesting, but ultimately?

She had no real reason to stay around.

"Unlike Rho and Isa, I have no reason to stay in the Selection either," she added thinking aloud. She wouldn't mind seeing her family again either… There really was no point…. Except one thing.

Katherine sighed. It sounded terribly ridiculous, but she couldn't help but want to stay for the sake of being in the Selection longer than Cecilia. She wanted to be better than her—no matter what—and prove her wrong.

"… Yeah. That's it," she mumbled. Being better than all the people she hated had always been one source of motivation. Still… if Michael wasn't sure whenever he wanted her in any more…

First of all, Eliza deserved an answer. She couldn't leave her forever on 'read'. Swiftly, she typed an unsure response.

 **Kath:** Not completely sure?  
 **Kath:** sounds like no recording that they gave on purpose  
 **Eliza:** do you think you'll stay in tho?  
 **Kath:** I dunno.

She locked her phone and placed it next to herself, remembering the audio file that someone had recorded. Michael had admitted that there was no chemistry between them. True. But they were ten Selected away from the Elite. If Cecilia was in the Elite—probably because of Greene—then Katherine wanted to be in it too. Michael, apparently, was still looking for a way to get out of the Selection, or so she thought.

"I suppose talking to Michael would solve it," she thought, but wasn't sure if she was going to actually do that. To Katherine, the whole idea would end up resulting in her getting eliminated, and that was what she didn't want. Kath groaned.

"Tomorrow. I will deal with this tomorrow." Even if that wasn't her way of dealing with these things, she didn't want to do it now. She was too tired either way.

* . * . *

Michael body slammed onto his bed, groaning something along the lines of "Why did Emmy not let me sleep during the second half?" He could stay out late if it was for the sake of clubbing and all, but this? Sorry, but ballet was boring to him. And it reminded him of the fact that he had round about no abilities in terms of sports.

"You look tired," somebody commented. Tired, Michael turned his face to see the only person he should have expected in the room at this time.

"… How did you get in here?"

"Through the door," his lover teased.

"You don't say," Michael grumbled tired. "How come you aren't tired?"

A shrug. "I found today exciting. I'm curious though, what's up with the rumors about the Elite?"

Michael groaned. Silvestre had been understanding (for once, really), but she still had scolded them for being so 'careless'. She had a point, yes, and it was his fault, but then again, the rumor made it seem like the announcement for the Elite was due tomorrow, and it wasn't.

The opposite was true—Greene didn't want any eliminations coming soon. He wanted some, yes, but from what Michael knew, they were meant to be in the end of the month or so. Maybe a bit later even, preferably. The fact that an important voting would happen in parliament around that time concerning Illéa's trade treaty with Germany was just "a coincidence", of course.

"Do you have plans for the Elite?" His lover asked with genuine curiosity. "I dare to say I deserve to know."

Michael laughed. "If I could, I'd end the Selection now."

"Greene would say no."

"So would my father. My choice isn't exactly his taste," the crown prince complained. An issue they had been dealing with ever since this started, and that didn't seem to be solving itself anytime soon. The King's dislike—if he knew, no one did—for Michael's desired One was the only reason why Michael was fine with stretching out the Selection as long as possible. It wasn't going to get them a new idea, but it gave them time for now…

"If I was to choose the Elite, I'd want to know why they originally joined…"

"In that case, you seem to have three people whom you can send as spies, don't you?" His lover winked at him.

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Confession**


	43. Confession

**43**

 **Confession**

Rihanna leaned against her seat. The Women's Room was still rather empty, but she didn't particularly care about that that much. The lessons they were having weren't meant to start until much later, and going by Africa, she was about to have very big news.

"Hey, why did you two sign up?" Rihanna tried to phrase her question as casual as possible, to hide that Michael was absolutely going to get the answer. The list of people she had gotten to ask about their reasons was large (well, kind of) and she was totally going to start with them.

"To get away from my family," Tatiana admitted. "I thought you knew that?"

"Oh, yeah," Rihanna nodded. "It just sounds a bit… harsh?"

"It also gives me some time to think where I want to go and study. Probably I will go to the Angeles film school though," Tate explained.

"Oh, you decided by now?" Africa asked curious.

Tatiana nodded. "Yes. I still will need to find a reason to avoid my mother, but the film school here has a better reputation too. What about you? Didn't you mention big news?"

"Oh, yeah," Africa nodded. "Do you know 'The Three Princes'? It seems to be a novel series set primarily in Africa. They are turning the first book into a movie, and my agent contacted me—they want me to play Prince Jasper, one of the three main characters."

"Wait, what?" Rihanna asked confused. "Prince?"

"The book is about three girls masquerading as foreign princes," Tatiana explained. "Do you know anything else?"

"Apparently, Emilia Steward was already casted as Prince Everett, and they want Magdalena Cruz for Prince Michael," Africa read out loud and laughed. "Like our Michael."

"That's awesome though, Africa. The book series alone is incredibly popular!"

Africa nodded, but her expression wasn't as happy as the girls could expect. "Yeah…" She sighed. "Mum says I should accept this offer rather than stay here. I mean… I came to the Selection for the sake of popularity… This movie would be better. It's much more international work too."

"… So… It's that movie or stay here in the Selection?" Rihanna asked. "What will you do?"

Africa leaned back, looking towards the ceiling. Rihanna tried to read her expression, but she had no idea what the actress was thinking. "I… I have some time until I will need to decide, so… uh… I'll see."

* . * . *

Tilly's steps were happy, light and energetic when she came down the marble stairs and passed the grand mirror. Being as cheerful as she was (unlike Kath, the article had been one big confidence boost to her), she twirled around.

"Hey, Tilly?" To her surprise, it was Isadora who called out her name. She stopped, turning around one more time to meet her friend.

"Good morning!" she called out cheerfully. It was a miracle that her smile still fitted on her face.

"How was your morning?" Isadora asked casually, unsure how to approach the topic. She had read the article too, of course, but cared little about it. Her mother had congratulated her, implying that she was preparing 'something'. Whatever.

"Oh, beautiful," Tilly singsung. "I had a sweet walk with Rockie, Flora and Mr Serious."

"… Rockie?" So she was still walking the dogs.

"Yeah, he's such a sweet darling," Tilly nodded. "How was your morning?"

"Oh, it was good," Isadora replied, remembering the conversation she had with two other Selected in her quest to figure out why they joined the Selection for Michael. The group chat that Rihanna, the Queen of Bad Chat Names, titled "Selection Insiders", they shared what they had figured out by now, and some of the discoveries the friends made were incredibly… interesting. Rho had been most active this morning—Rihanna hadn't done anything yet.

Michael's commentary on them was the best though.

"So… You're studying to become a nurse, aren't you?" Isadora asked, pretending to be interested. She probably was, considering what she had heard from Jason…

"Yeah," Tilly nodded. "Well, I just finished training. I was about to apply for a job when the Selection was announced. I decided to wait a bit when it came because…" She smiled happily—her chuckle said everything.

"Why did you sign up?" Isadora asked either way.

"Why?" Tilly repeated with a deep, love-struck sigh. Was Isa like that with Jason? She shuddered. Hopefully not. "It's my chance on a fairy tale… and now that I met Michael… Have you seen him with the dogs? He's…"

Isadora faded out. Yeah. That answered the question pretty much. She allowed Tilly to end her (apparently) endless rant on why Michael was a great person and all, patiently waiting for them to enter the women's room and Tilly to (finally) end her monologue.

Once she was, she took her phone and opened the group chat.

* . * . *

 **Selection Insiders (no, we're not idk a clever title)**

 **Isadora Bonovich:** Tilly is in because she's got a crush on you  
 **Isadora Bonovich:** in case you didn't notice yt  
 **Isadora Bonovich:** *yet  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** mood  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Africa's here for the fame.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** she got an offer for some fancy movie tho, and is considering it.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** for some fancy movie. Three Princes.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** it's a book, apparently  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** that doesn't make sense…  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** tate's escaping her fam.  
 **Rhosyn Reynolds:** I added the information to the spreadsheet.

 **Rihanna Lorde:** Mike?  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllo  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** r u alive  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** Mike schreave, answer me  
 **Rhosyn Reynolds:** Rihanna, please put the phone down, everyone can see you. The lesson started.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** dude hello?  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** your royal highness, answer me  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllo?  
 **Samuel Jones:** He's at work.  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** oh  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** aren't you too tho  
 **Samuel Jones:** Yes, and this is your mother. Samuel gave me his phone for the moment so I could read the spreadsheet. Listen, Rihanna, or you have house arrest. - Silvestre  
 **Rihanna Lorde:** I'm 19!  
 **Samuel Jones:** And yet, you are living with me. - Silvestre

* . * . *

"Who are you chatting with?" Rhosyn asked. Once again, the girls had been asked to stay in the Women's Room.

"My friends from university," Katherine replied. "We've been discussing…" she stopped, visibly unsure whenever she should continue or not. For the first time in forever, she was procrastinating doing something that should be extremely easy. Why wasn't she? Probably because of her pride.

"The news article?" Rhosyn asked.

"Yes," Kath nodded. "I… I'm not sure what to think about it."

"Well…" Rho looked for words. "I only read it once, but to me, it sounded like lots of interpreting. They can't know for sure—I don't think Michael really wants to get to the Elite already. Plus, we know that Greene wants the Selection to go on for a while… He won't allow Michael to eliminate ten girls at once."

"But they're right," Kath insisted. "There's no reason for me to stay, simply because there _is_ no chemistry, or anything. I just want to…"

"Want to what?" Rho wondered.

"When I signed up, it was just a stupid decision. I didn't expect to get in. However, then… when I heard that Cecilia was also selected…"

"You and Cecilia," Rho began speaking. "You have some form of history, don't you?"

"We know each other from school," Kath nodded, remembering the welcome banquet. Not the best memory, just like her years at high school. "I suppose… I'm too proud to go home until she has."

Rhosyn nodded understanding. "I see what you mean," she added.

Kath was about to add something when the doors to the women's room opened, and Silvestre, followed by a palace staff and Sam, entered. As usual, she gained the attention of the girls almost immediately. Kath had to admit that she envied her for that.

"I'm sorry for making you wait again," Silvestre explained. "However, I have news."

She paused, and if everyone wasn't used to that by now, they probably would have expected bad news. Kath glanced around herself, wondering whenever the other girls knew. She generally had little idea of the other girls outside their friend group.

"Once again, you have received an invitation—again by the Bonovich family, but this time, to their estate in Clermont. The whole visit will be recorded—not every detail, of course, but mainly—meaning that I am expecting you all to be following best behaviour." Why did that feel more like a shout out to Michael?

She proceeded to add a few details, but Kath tuned out. She didn't essentially need to listen that much, she thought. She could always ask Isadora or Rihanna to figure it out. While Rhosyn seemed to be taking notes on her phone (Kath didn't know that Rho was, in fact, active in a group chat), she came to realise that Clermont was on the other side of Illéa.

"Are we flying there?" she spoke up, forgetting that she was interrupting Silvestre.

"Well," Silvestre chuckled, "unless you'd like to drive, yes."

"Hey, Katy," Kath cringed at Cecilia, "don't you know how to fly planes?"

Why was she asking that out of all things she could say? The girls around Cecilia and herself seemed to be laughing—why? What was so fun about that? This didn't make sense, she thought worried. What were they going for? Yes, she had never understood Cecilia when she had bullied her in high school alongside her friends but now…? Back then, it had been her grades, age and hair colour, blonde, but what was fun about flying planes? Okay—flying planes was fun, but what was wrong here?

"… Yes, I do?" Kath, wary, replied. "I can fly commercial planes…?"

"Then I dare you to fly ours!" one of Cecilia's friends called out, laughing out the second later.

"… I mean, sure? I can?"

Silence. They didn't laugh. Did they expect her to boast with her skills and then deny? Of course she could fly a plane. It wasn't rocket science… well, it was, actually, but details.

"If you want to," Silvestre commented with a shrug. Was she not coming with them, or did she know? "I'll see what I can do."

"… Is she just allowing it, without even checking if you have a plane driving licence?" Africa asked genuinely confused.

"Pilot licence," Kath corrected. "I don't know though. I'm confident in flying planes, yes, but I agree…"

"I mean, if she does that and the camera films her, it'd definitely be nice promo, and might undermine that audio recording."

"… That does sound… relatively realistic, but… couldn't that be faked?" Africa wondered. "It's not that difficult to act that out."

"It's always possible for that to leak." Rihanna reminded them. "But yes, hello? What about our lives?"

"She might know because your father and the King are friends," Tilly explained. Of course she knew that Edwin Rhodes and Richard Schreave were friends. Apparently, it was up to them to figure it out. Silvestre continued with a few more details on their holiday in Clermont, including the dates, what they'd do and the fact that it was, in fact, a holiday. Why ever they were choosing Clermont, besides the free accommodation. It sounded fun, especially since Silvestre implied that they weren't the only ones invited.

Later on, it turned out that the people the seven friends _really_ cared about were Jason and Sam. Sam because Silvestre would take him as staff helping her (probably thanks to Michael insisting, Rihanna guessed), and Jason because the Bonovichs' reputation for, previously, being friends with Katerina had, apparently, taken a blow. Maybe also as a thanks for letting Isa stay with him.

The bottom line was that Isa began making plans of introducing Jason as boyfriend material, and that, with Sam and Emilia coming along, the girls expected the crown prince to stay with his friends. Except for Tilly, they were fine with it.

* . * . *

The plane flight two weeks later was boring. The goodbye in Angeles took overly long thanks to three dog owners being unable to let go of their pets, but since the flight was in the rather early morning, most of them decided to nap either way.

While banning most people from the cockpit (Kath preferred to have conversations with the co-pilot), Kath seemed to have a wonderful time in the cock-pit, but neither of the friends could figure out completely why Cecilia and her friends had suggested it in the first place.

When the group of round about twenty-five people finally touched down in Clermont (getting them all through the security had been a terrible hassle), they were received by the locals and press alike.

Silvestre had warned them ahead. Michael had warned them ahead. Heck, everyone saw it coming, but essentially, for most of the girls, it was their first meeting between the unleashed press and themselves.

Flying the plane had been such a nice change from the girl talk 24-7 that the Selection was, in comparison to university, study and finals at least. It wasn't essentially 'relaxing' but set Kath into a good mood. When she found herself next to Cecilia Stark for the confrontation with the journalists, her mood dropped back.

"Miss Rhodes, you have a background in airplanes. What do you think of the private airplane of the Schreaves?" She only heard one question in the storm clearly.

"I… just saw the cockpit, but it's a well-kept… airplane?" Kath, forgetting the instructions Silvestre's team had given them, replied.

"Why did you stay in the cockpit?"

"You need to be in the cockpit to fly an airplane…?"

"Are you saying that you were piloting an Aerobus 878?"

"Yes," Kath, finding back to her self-confidence, nodded. Her voice grew stronger, her smile followed. "Yes, I did. Flying is a hobby of mine, and I can pilot commercial airplanes. It comes from my father encouraging me to do it," she explained confident.

Next to her, Cecilia shifted from one leg on the other, glancing at the impressed journalists. They continued with a few more questions, leading to Katherine repeating the background of her piloting licence (coming from curiosity, being encouraged by her father, a pilot himself) and how it came to be that she had gotten the licence to pilot a commercial airplane.

"It's really interesting to see the vast talents the Selected have," Cecilia interrupted Kath nervous, "isn't it? Katy's abilities," She still stuck to that nickname she hated, "they are very… mechanical and all. I'm sure you'll do well in the industry as engineer."

Kath initially smiled at the compliment. Cecilia complimenting on her skills and talents rather than criticizing it? No, there was no way she'd do that. Not after ridiculing it for years, telling her to 'know her place' in a way of thought that, in Kath's opinion, belonged into the 18th century, if even.

The real meaning behind the comment came as Cecilia begun talking about her law degree and work in politics. Essentially, Cecilia confirmed to the press that she was out, through the way she phrased it. The one thing she was good in as politician, huh? Phrasing sentences, hinting thing without actually saying it. She was placing herself in a position of being likely to win—maybe even implying that Michael herself had told her who would be eliminated soon?

"Well, I'm sure you'll do great in politics too," Kath responded with a sweet smile. If she was going down, Cecilia might as well come along. She smiled when seeing Cecilia's eyes fill with worry and disdain for a moment.

"Katy," Cecilia paused. "How has it been for you? This all, the Selection and everything, is very new for you, isn't it? You're so used to the genius students of your university, and not, well, people who care more about emotive factors, like Michael, aren't you?" Her smile filled Kath equally with disdain.

"Would you agree with that?"

"Is it true that there is no connection between you and the Crown Prince?"

"How do you fell about still being in the Selection despite that?"

The questions went on, and this time Kath didn't even have the time to finish her answer. Would she agree with the fact that everything in the Selection was new? Not essentially, but—interrupted. Was there no connection between them? Difficult to explain, but—interrupted. Interrupted. Asked something else confusing.

While the journalists continued to grill Katherine until Silvestre _finally_ noticed them and saved her, Africa and Tatiana had it a bit easier. The only thing the reporters were curious about was the relationship between their parents.

"Africa! Miss Loveren! Could we have a comment on the relationship of your parents?"

Tatiana smiled awkwardly. Considering the fact that she didn't know a lot about their relationship either, there wasn't much she could say aside of "I'm happy for them if they are happy with each other. I like Alina and Africa a lot." (which she _did_ say), so she remained in the back.

Africa had a lot to say either way. She probably had much more knowledge about the relationship due to the closer relationship between the two than Tate who was avoiding her family either way. The actress immediately stepped protective in front of her friend.

"Wallis is an incredible director. I worked with him once, and it was a great experience. I have great respect for him, and if he and my mother get along well, then I don't have any objections. However, we will not comment on any personal details. Thank you very much." Her voice was clear, strong and professional. Tate smiled relieved and muttered a "Thank You" to Africa as she kept fending off the press.

They were being watched by Isadora who was among the last to enter the public part of the airport. Initially, she watched the other girls, not interested in dealing with the press herself, but she knew she couldn't just keep standing there forever.

"Miss Bonovich, please comment on your relationship with the Crown Prince."

Isadora turned to the first reporter whom she heard. "We've had a lot of fun talking about a wide range of topics," she lied. "I enjoy spending time with him very much." If she was going to stay in the Selection for a while, then she might was well pretend that there was something.

"Looking at the charity event organised by your group, please comment on your relationship with your family."

Isadora hesitated. She couldn't just say "They're lying to me and pretending to be nice"—the truth wasn't a choice. Make up stuff and contrast what she said on the event? No—people wouldn't take her serious and they'd question it. No comment? It'd imply she was hiding something. Her parents wouldn't like that.

"Off the record—Please do refrain of being too personal," a new voice, Emilia, spoke. "This is not an official press event. Isadora, you don't need to talk to them." Isadora smiled grateful at the princess who winked at her.

"Are you implying that there is an issue about which she doesn't want to talk?"

"I don't like to talk about what recently happened to my family either," Emilia replied. "I consider it a universal right to separate private and public life. Unless, of course, you insist on discussing my dead mother with me."

Isadora grinned amused when the reporter remained dumbfounded.

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Is That Your Secret?**


	44. Is That Your Secret?

**44**

 **Is That Your Secret?**

Alexandria Bonovich wouldn't arrive until later due to a prior engagement. Victor Bonovich was still working. Anton Bonovich was at university.

Long story short, the girls were welcomed by the Bonovich's house keeper and asked to enjoy the day until the family would welcome them in the evening. While most of the twenty girls took a place in the lounge or garden, Isadora and her friends disappeared into her own room. They had recovered from the pres encounter by now, despite some bitter feelings.

"I really like your room," Tilly remarked. Isadora's room was almost completely white—the only touches were a bit of grey and gold. The girls took seats on the couch and enjoyed the cookies and drinks the housekeeper had previously brought.

"Hmhm," Isadora didn't respond completely. "Mum did a lot of the arrangement."

Tilly looked aside, embarrassed for reminding Isadora of her bad relationship with her mother. The girls ate in silence for a moment while Africa kept scrolling through something on her phone. Eventually, Tilly's curiosity won.

"What'cha doing?" she asked Africa.

"I'm reading a script," Africa replied.

"A script?" Kath repeated curious. "For what?"

"The movie version of 'The Three Princes'. I was offered to play one of the three main characters," Africa replied.

"Really?" Rhosyn asked, and Africa nodded. "That's awesome, isn't it? Even I read that book!"

"Yes…" Africa sighed. "But if I was to accept the role, I'd need to drop out of the Selection. Logically speaking, it's a really good chance and all, but I don't know…"

"Take your time," Tilly recommended. "Take your time to think and see what you want to do."

Rihanna nodded. "Yes, we'll support you. Isn't the book set in Africa?"

Africa chuckled. "Yeah. The filming will be done in South Africa and Dubai. I've been wanting to go there for so long, but I never had the time… It'd be a great chance."

"When does the filming start?" Tate asked.

"In May," Africa replied, "but I need to decide much earlier. I'll…"

"Take your time and see," Kath repeated. "Do what you want to do."

* . * . *

 **Cecilia Stark:** Heyyyy 3  
 **Cecilia Stark:** We haven't spoken in a while, haven't we?  
 **Mayli Yi:** Not really, no.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** Can you do me a big favour?  
 **Mayli Yi:** depends on what, and what I get in return.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** Pardon me?  
 **Mayli Yi:** What do you want me to do, Cecilia?  
 **Cecilia Stark:** I need you to make sure a few photos reach the public, preferably completely anonymous and through that one friend you have.  
 **Mayli Yi:** You want me to make sure it goes viral like that video of Rihanna and her friends fighting?  
 **Cecilia Stark:** yes.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** can you do it?  
 **Mayli Yi:** Show me the photos.  
 _Cecilia Stark sent 24 image(s).  
_ **Mayli Yi:** 10k.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** What?  
 **Mayli Yi:** If you pay me 10k, I'll make sure you get what you want. 5k now, 5k when it's done.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** You're kidding.  
 **Mayli Yi:** You still owe me for the video AND keeping silence. And other stuff too, Cecilia. The interview, you remember?  
 **Cecilia Stark:** No, I don't?  
 **Mayli Yi:** Then I'd say it's much more profitable to reveal how you broke the contract, made me do all that, and the fact that you slept with your professor to pass your third year at uni after blackmail didn't work.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** how do you know that?!  
 **Mayli Yi:** You talk a lot when you're drunk.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** 10k?  
 **Mayli Yi:** Yes.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** Deal.  
 **Mayli Yi:** Always nice to work with you

* . * . *

Unlike the rather official setting of the Bonovich reception in Angeles earlier, this felt much more like a visit at a friend's home. Sam kept hovering around Michael who, once again, had been forbidden to touch a drop of alcohol. With no press around, it wasn't that much of an issue, but Silvestre didn't want to risk anything. "Overcareful and controlling," Rihanna, tipsy, had called her mother.

Right now, the prince and princess alongside their respective best friends were sitting together. Emilia, Michael and Sam (more as contact to Silvestre) had visited friends of the family earlier on, meaning they—unlike the girls—hadn't spent much time in the mansion inhabited by the Bonovich family.

Alexandria Bonovich joined them with a sweet smile that they all believed to be false. "Mind if I join you?" she asked Emilia and Michael. Sam and Rihanna were nothing but furniture to her.

"Of course," Emilia smiled, being the perfect princess she was known to be, even if she dreaded this conversation inside. Rihanna had told her about Isadora's family, and she knew that they were the type of people she absolutely could not stand. But speaking up and getting into ugly situations? That was Michael's job.

She initially tried to friendly hug Emilia, but that was too much in her opinion. As if nothing happened, Emilia overplayed it, but moved close enough to Rihanna and away from her to make that impossible.

"So, how have you been?" she politely asked, trying to overplay the failure she had just experienced. They could still see some disdain in her eyes though, making Emilia feel slightly happy. They conversed a bit about their philanthropy work—Emilia and Alexandria were talking while Michael and Rihanna gave each other looks. Alexandria tried to get a bit more info on Michael and Isadora's relationship, claiming that her daughter was embarrassed and all, but Michael clearly wasn't keen either.

"Emilia," Alexandria eventually gave up on Michael. "Have you met my son yet?"

"No," Emilia replied with a smile. Probably a bit too naïve-sounding, but no, she was not interested in dating him—no matter who he was. Let alone because her son probably was a guy.

* . * . *

While they were playing the game of politeness, Isadora and Jason, probably drunk by now, were in Isadora's room. They had sneaked out what felt like ages ago, and now were sitting, somewhat entangled, on the couch, gigging and making out.

Isadora couldn't help but smile. Jason loved her. He treated her like a lady, and accepted her flaws, unlike her parents and brother did. That jerk of a brother as probably was still sulking over the fact that Katerina dumped him months ago.

Isadora giggled again. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. "I love you, Isadora." He was losing up, and finally stopped being so nervous and trembling and what not.

"I love me too," Isadora replied laughing. "But I like you too," she added, poking his nose. "Poke!"

"Poke!" Jason poked back. "You just should throw the Selection away, it's boring."

"I know!" Isadora complained. "We're spending _so_ _much_ time sitting around and listening to protocol, constitution nonsense and the fact that Queen Eadlyn didn't know what a constitutional monarchy was when she announced it out of the blue!" She groaned. "Boring, I tell you." She dropped her swaying head against Jason's torso. "See? Being drunk isn't _that_ bad, hun."

The door opened, but they didn't care. It was the fault of whoever coming in to see them like that, really. Especially because of the big, old "DO NOT ENTER" sign on the door that Isadora had insisted on when she was twelve years old. The pink fairy and the "PRINCESSES ONLY" caption really had been a phase that lasted round about one week.

"Hey, Yelyzaveta? Mum wants to—oh." Anton Bonovich stood in the door frame, with eyes as big as goldfishes. Maybe because her shirt wasn't in place completely anymore. Despite being twenty-two, he probably never had a real girlfriend—too scandalous and inappropriate, but also simply because Anton always kept on copying their father, who was primarily occupied with work.

"Awww, my jerk brother!" Isadora greeted him, laughing. "What can I do for you?" She slipped into accent while her brother regained his composure.

"Mum wanted to see you, but," Anton leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms, "I'm sure she'd be happier to know that you're making out with Reynolds. Like always."

"I'm not _always_ making out with him. He has to work too!"

"I—I am serious!" Anton insisted angry, reminding Isadora of a little angry dwarf. Her brother wasn't essentially tiny or anything, but he looked like the evil child in a TV show that ultimately just complained. "I—I will tell mum and dad!"

"… Now… I don't speak Ukrainian. Care to translate?" Jason asked.

Isadora laughed. "Oh, he's just a jerk. Not worth your attention."

"You don't like him, don't you?"

"He is a jerk, he is always better than me. He's basically a carbon copy of dad without the same charm, in my opinion. He always does what dad would do, literally _vowed_ not to be like me—his twin—and he's always the perfect golden boy. He sometimes pretends like I don't exist!"

* . * . *

"Which is how Rihanna ended up believing that sugar is the cure to cancer," Emilia ended her story. Alexandria, despite being an actress, was slowly tiring from pretending to be interested. By now, she was tired enough for Emilia to toy around with her. Rihanna was embarrassed, but Michael was laughing.

"Mother!" Anton Bonovich arrived, out of breath, and began rambling in a foreign language. Probably their mother tongue, but neither of the four knew for sure.

"Anton," Alexandria interrupted, but he continued. "Anton!"

"Pardon me?"

"Again, but in English, please. We're in Illéa," Alexandria insisted. However, all of the four could imagine that this wasn't normal—not after what they all had heard from Isadora (and proxy). Probably trying to make a good impression, Michael concluded grimly.

"Isadora was just making out with Reynolds," Anton stuttered.

"With Rho?" Sam asked, genuinely surprised. "What?" He looked to the three others, who all shrugged confused. None of them could explain that.

"N-no! With—with the doctor. Her brother."

"With Jason?" Mike asked, suppressing a smirk and a satisfied tone.

" _Pardon me_?!" Alexandria looked between her son and Michael, the disdain and despair in her voice growing stronger and stronger.

Damn it, Michael realized. Isa's cover was blowing up, and if that was the case, the press _would_ hear of it. If the press would hear of it… He caught his breath. No. No. No. No. No. This time, they'd come back to him. Say that he had been mean or something to hear, causing her to end up sobbing in Jason's arms or something. "Well… that makes no sense..."

"What? What do you mean?" Anton asked perplexed.

Michael glanced to Sam. "… Jason… is… gay."

"But—but—"

"I mean… I saw… Jason and… Sam… making out the other day…?"

"Wait," Rihanna turned to Sam, as if he as the more interesting side of the story, "you're gay?!"

Sam sighed, disappointed, and glanced to Rihanna. "No, bi."

"Welcome to the team, bro!"

"… You might just… drunk too much, and saw it wrong," Mike told Anton, trying to make up stuff. "Don't worry about it."

"… Pardon me? Anton?" Alexandria, terrified, turned to the Crown Prince.

He leaned over. If he was doing this, he might as well do it a full lie. Michael whispered into Alexandria's eat. "I believe he is a bit jealous of Is—your daughter. Probably a mix of alcohol and said jealously." He nodded at the actress. "Wine?" he said, offering the bottle.

"… Yes." Alexandria sighed.

While Alexandria told Anton to leave 'them', whenever she was hoping it or genuinely believing it, and the conversation went on. They were joined by a few other girls, such as Cecilia, which Michael ultimately used to send his friends a brief message.

 **Michael Schreave:** Someone keep an eye on that dude. He's endangering my OTP.

* . * . *

 **Mayli Yi:** Consider it done. I'd like to have my second 5k.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** It's 3am. Don't you sleep?  
 **Mayli Yi:** I have a 10 pages essay due tomorrow. Try again when you didn't get your degree through sex.  
 **Mayli Yi:** oh btw  
 **Mayli Yi:** Greene.  
 **Cecilia Stark:** Why do you have contact to Greene? How?!  
 **Mayli Yi:** He will want you to meet him tomorrow.  
 **Mayli Yi:** Have fun haha  
 **Cecilia Stark:** What does he want?  
 **Mayli Yi:** A reason to get rid of you. Give him a distraction. Maybe Sam?  
 **Cecilia Stark:** What's with your ex?  
 **Mayli Yi:** His actual name is Simon.

* . * . *

They had more than just one hangover.

Isadora was hungover. Rihanna was hungover. Some other girls were hungover, and almost everyone had been somewhat tipsy, unless they had a minion of Silvestre watching over them (Michael). At noon, Michael had updated Jason and Isadora on the lie—they weren't too happy—and both took a while to accept the newest part of the act.

"Where's Kath?" Tilly asked when they were sitting in the lounge together. A few of the girls had taken the cameras to the downtown nearby.

"I haven't seen her at breakfast," Rho remarked

"That's strange," Rihanna paused, visibly still struggling with the hangover.

"She did seem a bit off this morning," Tatiana, who shared a guest room with Katherine, remarked, "but she left before me."

"… It's almost lunch," Tilly wondered, "shouldn't we go and look for her?"

"Kath is a grown up, she'll be fine," Isadora insisted. "Plus, our house isn't _that_ large. You can't get lost here."

Tate and Rho hesitated for a moment, but had to agree that Isadora had a good point. The girls returned to what they had been doing just before—be it reading like Emilia and Rho did, or talking like Tate and Africa did. Rihanna was skimming through celebrity gossip and Tumblr posts on her phone, and it didn't take her _too long_ to find _them_.

"Uh… Guys?" She spoke with hesitation. "I… maybe figured out why."

She waved the tablet with the Tumblr post in the air. The post, coming from a Tumblr account that seemed to be focused on the Selection, was about Kath, and clearly not complimenting. Emilia reached out her hand, and slightly hesitant, Rihanna handed it to her. The princess quietly scrolled through the post with a poker face.

"Oh." She looked up. "This isn't good for her," she added.

"What happened?" Tate asked, confused but curious.

Emilia handed her the tablet, and Tatiana placed it on the table in front of them. The post was retelling an article from The Angeles Sun, which Tate then opened. The article started out claiming to have contact to someone knowing her from 'before'. The first photos were nothing but slightly out of context photos taken from school—all girls but Tilly recognised the cafeteria, but as they continued to scroll, they got worse.

"Someone from school must have gotten them," Tate realised.

"Do you think that's why she seemed weird?" Rho suggested.

"Probably," Isa nodded. "If you remember the welcome banquet—she was kind of off when we talked about school. Uncomfortable."

"How do you remember that?" Rihanna asked in disbelief. "I don't even know what I was wearing."

Isadora shrugged. "I think she's got some past beef with Cecilia."

"She definitely has," Africa nodded approving. "Something's up there."

"Do you think that Cecilia took these photos?" Tilly worried.

"Probably," Rihanna nodded. "I mean, she's the only other one who went to our school, and it's from The Angeles Sun. Last time I checked, Mayli had some nice connections to them, and she was best buddies with Cecilia."

"Not… not necessarily best buddies, I believe." Tilly noted. "I think it was more a "'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' type of situation, but yes, it probably was through her again."

"But anyone looking into this would know," Rho insisted, "that it was either one of us, or Cecilia—right?"

Emilia shook her head. "Theoretically, it could have been anyone in their year group. Sure, someone from the Selection would make sense, but why now? There just have been rumours about her being at the edge of elimination."

"Is she?" Tilly asked the princess.

"No comment," Emilia replied. "It doesn't make sense for anyone to release them now."

"Unless they really just hate her. Like Cecilia," Africa concluded.

Rhosyn rose. "Let's go and look for her. I don't want her to be alone now—not in all of this."

Tatiana rose as well, nodding. "I agree. Where could she be, if not in our room?"

"Outside?" Rihanna suggested.

"That'd take a while to find her though," Isadora said. "Our garden isn't exactly the definition of small."

"It can't be as bad as the palace garden," Rihanna insisted. "Let's try."

The seven girls (Emilia excused herself—she would ask Silvestre about what she knew) headed out into the garden of the Bonovich estate. With the help with the gardener, they figured out that Kath was nearby the pool—just because it was a good spot to 'hide'. No one had come there—at least yet.

"Kath?" Tatiana called out, but she didn't need to.

The girls could hear faint sobbing coming from the stairs nearby the patio. Tatiana, followed by Rho and Tilly, was the first to reach Kath. Their friend was huddled into the corner of the lowest of the stairs, make up smugly from crying. Tate crouched next to her.

"Sorry…" Kath muttered, trying to wipe away the tears.

"Hey, it's fine," Tilly insisted. "Come here." She pulled her into a hug, but glanced up to the others, unsure what exactly to say. Ask what happened? They knew. "What happened?" She ended up asking either way. She wanted to show her that they cared about her.

"There's…" Kath shook her head. "It's fine—don't worry about it."

"No, it's not," Rihanna insisted. "Cecilia's a bitch."

"I… there's nothing…"

"It was her, obviously," Isadora insisted. "And she's doing too much. Mike can't keep her in if she keeps on doing this."

"Well…" Rihanna sighed. "If that was just that easy…"

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: I Am WHO**


	45. I Am WHO

**45**

 **I Am WHO**

Cecilia Stark didn't even give John Greene a second of time to speak up.

Greene had messaged her, asking her to come and see him while he was in town—a 'coincidence', as he called it, but to Cecilia, it was obvious that he was here on purpose. Well, after Mayli messaged her last night, it was obvious.

"We need to talk. This is impossible, and I will not condemn it any further," she stood, speaking loud, in front of the sitting politician. They were in a café that was, fortunately, empty. He had chosen this point on purpose, Cecilia presumed. She didn't mind.

"Cecilia, please sit down first," Greene offered.

"No." Cecilia lowered her voice's volume level. "I want you to listen to me." She'd sit down eventually, but for now, she needed to establish him to respect her. This had always helped her father. It'd help her too.

"I want you to remove Katherine Rhodes, Rihanna Lorde and Isadora Bonovich from the Selection."

"I can't do that," Greene began.

"You can. Don't make me believe that Michael is in charge of the Selection _now_. The Elite is about to start."

Greene sighed. "I sure hope not," he muttered under his breath.

Cecilia rose an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"We need the Selection to go on. And bring more headlines too. Whatever Rhodes did today? Good work. I like her. She's keeping the press from—" he stopped.

"Yeah, no. She's constantly insulting me. She's an outrageous inconvenience. So is Bonovich. Rihanna? She isn't even in the Selection for the win—just for the popularity. As well, I heard that Bonovich made out with Reynolds' brother. She might as well be thrown out too." Cecilia studied Greene's face. He didn't move. She should have prepared more reasons, she regretted.

"Alright. Noted. I'll consider it." Greene spoke after a moment of silence. Why was it that he was suddenly considering it? He wasn't completely on her side. Damn it. "May I—"

" _And_ ," she added. "More importantly, that guy needs to disappear."

"Who?"

"Samuel Jones, or whatever he calls himself." Cecilia showed the prime minister a photo of Michael's bets friend on her phone. "He needs to go."

"That's Michael's best friend, isn't he?"

"Yes." Cecilia wanted to groan. It was ridiculous. Did the Crown Prince even know? Why in the world was he bothering with someone like him? A bastard! It was impossible that he was still around—didn't Lorde do a background check?!

"Give me one reason why I should do that."

"He's faking his identity, for once," Cecilia replied.

Greene was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I presume—no, I know—that Samuel Jones is, in fact, my cousin, Simon Stark."

Greene mustered the young lady quietly, as if that could somehow explain how Simon had faked his death and disappeared from the grid, just to remerge as Sam Jones. He was attending university, meaning he had to have a high school certification, but Mayli had known him when he still was Simon Stark. Did the Crown Prince know? Cecilia knew—she saw his expressions!—that he was no friend of her family. Why in the world was he bothering with the half-Chinese bastard? Thinking of it, Cecilia wasn't sure from where in New Asia that woman that slept with her uncle was from.

"… Simon Stark is dead."

"Tell me where the corpse is, then."

"He's better up dead." Greene leaned forward. "More for you than me, really. Aside of working with your father, I've got no connection to you all. I don't need to bother with them all, but it's your issue. Why in the world should I help you?"

Angry, Cecilia's voice climbed two octaves. "You owe my father—"

"Last time I checked, he's dead."

"Still, do you not understand what a scandal this could be for me?!"

"I genuinely couldn't care less," Greene insisted. "Sam Jones, Simon Stark—it won't make a difference. It won't be that bad for me."

"But— Simon, he got into drugs and what not. Illegal stuff. He is… He doesn't belong among people like me. Michael. Us."

Greene shook his head. "I'm done with you, Stark." He was. His 'debt' to Alexander Stark was paid. Cecilia now being thrown out of the Selection? Honestly? It probably was going to be more distracting than her staying in it.

"That's it, finished. Good bye."

* . * . *

Michael had gotten up relatively early thanks to being forced into not drinking a drop of alcohol. He was sitting with Sam, talking about this and these when Emilia joined them with an unreadable expression.

"Do you mind if I interrupt you two?" she asked.

"I should be at work either way," Sam responded. "So, see you later?"

"Alright…" Michael replied with slight disappointment. "See you later. Netflix marathon tonight?"

Sam smiled awkwardly. "I think that it'd be more adequate not to do that _here_."

He left them alone, and Emilia took a seat next to them. She at first remained silent for a moment, remained quiet and seemed to think. Michael, growing more and more confused, mustered his sister. What was she wanting to out of sudden?

"We need to talk," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Okay?" Michael rose an eyebrow. "You sound terrible serious. And negative."

"I need you to be honest with me—do you have anyone in the Selection?"

"I—uh… Emmy, we talked about this before."

She turned to him. "Rihanna and I are dating."

Michael took a deep breath, wanting to answer. He paused. Wait. What? What did she say? What since when? Why? How? She couldn't understand—what the heck? "… What?"

"Rihanna and I are dating," Emilia—with genuine seriousness but also pressed—she repeated. "And I genuinely want to know whenever you have someone in the Selection, because if not—chose Rihanna. Marry her. Whatever. Do whatever you want to do, and once father is… passed away, divorce and let us date openly. It'll give us an excuse to be together, and you a way out of the Selection."

"… Okay."

"I…" She looked aside. "I know it's a bit difficult to decide this now, but, you know, consider the option. You have it, and yeah, you don't need to choose it, but I don't think there's anyone of interest." She rose, wanting to leave Michael alone and able to consider his options himself. "I'll leave you with that—excuse me." Her brother was, in any way, perplexed.

She turned away, unsure about how to look into his eyes again. Emilia blushed. What in the world… she knew why she had logically done it but yet… what if Michael shared their father's opinion on LGBT? No, he didn't. She knew he didn't like the Starks but…

Emilia stopped when she heard the voice of John Greene. Confused—what was the reason for him to be here? The Bonovichs didn't essentially voice public opinions on politics, didn't they? Why was he here?

"Which is why I think that's just cat fight, but keep an eye on it," the prime minister said. "Whereas I am, to some degree, worried about the hole in your newest employee's background."

"Who?" Silvestre replied confused.

"Samuel Jones," Greene responded, and now, Emilia understood that he was on a phone set on a speaker. "I know someone who claims to know him. Are you aware of the holes?"

"… Yes."

"The issue is that if anyone was to catch find of this, this will be a press issue. I am just warning you—you wouldn't want someone with a criminal background around Michael, if that was to come to public."

Silvestre sighed. What? Did Sam—what?! Emilia stopped, unsure what to think. Sam having a criminal background? Was this the same feeling Michael felt when she essentially just told him that she was gay? "I know."

"Silvestre, between us, do something. Michael doesn't know what he is getting himself into. Who knows—maybe Sam is the bad influence on him?"

"I know…" Silvestre replied with hesitation. "I will… think about it."

Emilia could hear the call end, and Silvestre sigh again. Had she been thinking about this before? Why didn't Emilia know about that? She heard Silvestre muttering. "If you just knew that I've been dealing this since they started hanging out together more and more?" she said.

Her phone rang again. "Yes? Scarlet?" A pause. "… You heard that Michael's best friend has a criminal history," she seemed to repeat, and sighed. She walked around the corner and recognised Emilia, waving briefly with a tired face. Wordless, Emilia waved back, before walking on, torn between turning around and demanding answers from her brother, and remembering that she just had bombed him with news herself.

* . * . *

"Good morning, cousin."

The words didn't make Sam—or Simon, as his birth name was—stop anymore. He walked on, as if Cecilia Stark, his paternal cousin, had not said anything to him. In fact, he pulled out his phone and checked if Silvestre had told him to do anything.

"Don't pretend you don't know."

He could. Let alone an overdoses probably could probably do the job. Especially since Cecilia, Alexander and all his other relatives on the Stark side always thought him to be messed up either way. This worked, in his opinion. On the other hand, however, Sam also knew that Cecilia knew. Let alone because of all he had done until now.

"Simon."

Hearing that name in the first time in ages… it was weird. Michael never called him it. Not since he asked him to stop it. Not since he, for the first time in ages, had met someone from the world he had wanted to escape. Michael. It had been his idea to take on a new identity—although it had been initially a difficult thing to obtain it, but it had worked. In the end. Somehow.

" _Simon Stark_."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her desperate tries, even though it once had been him calling after his father. After his aunt and uncle. After his cousin. After his mother. All of them. Now it was Cecilia, and this moment was awesome. But he had gone through enough. He didn't need to pretend. Not with a newly established life.

He turned around. "Cousin."

Maybe it was this that made the range flush into her eyes. Cecilia Stark clutched her fists. The last time they had met as family, Cecilia had called him names he didn't want to think. The Stark's homophobic and xenophobic views? He had seen them all. He wasn't even fluent in his mother's tongue.

"… Care to explain?"

"I doubt that you, dear Cecilia, have the precious time to listen to the sob story, my life is." Sam briefly smiled at her before turning around. He was angry at her, still, but nowadays, he knew better. Don't give in to the anger he had. Don't give in to the hatred he felt.

Even if hearing that name meant emptiness.

"Maybe Netflix isn't that bad after all," he muttered to himself. They had to talk either way, about this and more.

"Oh no, cousin. You aren't going to run this time. You've been an inconvenience in my life once already, and I will not allow it again." Cecilia's voice suddenly filled with the superiority she believed to have. "You don't belong here. Here in this house. Here by Michael's side. Here in this world, misfit."

Screw it. Emotions were so much easier. He ran.

* . * . *

Michael was still sitting in the lounge, when Silvestre—with a decision she probably had made before—approached him. Lost in his thoughts about what Emilia had offered (Was it worth? To play a game and wait until his father—after losing his mother already—was gone to be with his true love?) and sunken in imagined futures, he didn't see her coming.

"Michael?"

He shrieked at his own name, jumping around immediately. He mustered the woman briefly, before asking a blunt. "What."

"We need to talk about Sam."

"Sam?" the prince repeated confused. "What? Why?"

Silvestre sat down next to him. "I know that Sam has a… an interesting past."

"… I know that you don't like him, but you aren't in the position to judge, Silvestre."

"What I am about to say… I need you to think about what is best for you and him," Silvestre explained with a gloomy expression. She knew that Michael wouldn't agree—he cared too much for his best friend otherwise. "I… I need to fire him."

"… Why?" Michael asked, scarily calm. "He's good at—"

"It's not because of what he does, but because of the past." She took a deep breath. "Scarlet called me not too long ago, asking about the rumour that _your_ best friend has a shady past. I—Do you want him to deal with the same negative attention you always do? Do you want to deal with it?"

The Crown Prince turned—to Silvestre's surprise and worry—white. He tensed, seemed to catch breath. Almost as if he was on the edge, she thought. "… So you're saying he has to disappear from my life." He looked down, desperateness in his eyes. He really cared for his best friend, huh?

"Not essentially," she replied, trying to be encouraging. "This just needs to happen in the public—hence me suggesting for him to stop working with us. If he's not anywhere, then we won't give the press a reason to suspect anything… for now." It wasn't the best plan, but one that wouldn't push Michael to wanting _her_ fired. "I know that this is—"

Michael shook his head. "No. You're right… I just… He doesn't have anything to fall back on, so… Yeah, I'll…" He stopped his sentences without revealing what he was thinking again and again.

"Yes…?"

"I want to assure that he has something to live on," Michael replied, serious. "Yes, do what you want to prevent the press from bothering him, but I will make sure he'll be save." He rose. "Anything else?"

"Two things. Greene is done with Cecilia. She can be out of the Selection anytime you want, essentially." He seemed happy—good. "Then, however, someone leaked…images from Katherine when she was younger, and Rihanna told me that she's crying in the room she shares with Tatiana. Would you mind to look after her?"

"What about Sam?"

"I've discussed this with him before. We agreed that until someone finds out, I will have him work in my team. This has changed. He knows and accepts that."

"… Alright." Michael nodded.

"Are _you_ alright?" Silvestre worried. "You're… taking this too lightly."

"Yeah, I guess so." Michael shrugged. "You're the expert, and my worry is with him."

He walked off, unsure whenever he believed into what he said. Directly walking to the girls' rooms, he knocked at the door he believed to be (and fortunately that was) Kath and Tate's room. No direct answer came, so he waited. He probably would screw this up, but… Now that Silvestre pointed out eliminations again, should he eliminate her? Kath was getting so much press attention—that couldn't be right. He knew how terrible it was but… he didn't want to give the press the win of being right.

Unless Kath agreed, he thought, she wasn't out.

"Can I come in?" the prince asked careful.

"…Yeah." He wasn't sure who of the girls it was.

He opened the door, with a sigh. "Mind if I join the 'Cecilia is a bitch' club?" He asked.

Rihanna stood nearby the door, shaking her head, but Kath nodded. "Sure. Everybody's welcome."

"What happened—well, Silvestre told me something but…?"

"Cecilia… She used to bully me when I was at school with her, and… she's using the same methods as she did before."

"Bitchy family," Michael muttered, remembering Sam's childhood stories.

"There's nothing that can be done against a Stark."

With sadness, Michael nodded. "I know, I know." He stayed with them this time, decided to be more helpful than he had been until now. Even if it was just joining the Cecilia trash talk.

* . * . *

Sam ran.

For Christ's sake, he wasn't even sure where he was anymore. Away from Cecilia, out of the mansion, away from them all who called him by these names. Names he wanted to forget, destroy, erase. He found himself walking through the downtown of Isadora's hometown, almost lost, not knowing since when he had been here. Knowing nothing, really.

"You look like you need a trip," a voice said. Probably some back alley dealer that Sam, six years ago, would have turned to. Mayli's betrayal had broken away that one hope he had. She had been so sweet when they first met, so loving and understanding when he told her about his mother calling him a bastard, his father viewing him as misfit and his family ignoring him. He probably could have gotten along all too well with Isadora.

"Probably, yeah," he muttered. He had been free of drugs since he was sixteen, wasn't he? A voice in his head told him that he could use a trip. He could feel himself falling back into the void, and he did not want that.

"That's—" the dealer stopped. "How much would you pay?"

He remembered swearing to the counsellor never to touch them again. He remembered promising Michael the same thing. He remembered reminding him again and again that he shouldn't drink so much, or he would become an alcoholic.

"You look like that dude from the China restaurant," the dealer insisted. Sigh. All Asians look the same again? "You owe me cash! Give it back!"

Sam couldn't get himself to reply. Too much energy. Too much work. Too much caring he didn't have. He remained silent, but seconds later, he could hear a gun shot.

 **Author's note**

 **Next Chapter: Stay**


	46. Stay

**46**

 **Stay**

 **Trigger warning: anxiety / panic attack**

"… Could we have the room for a moment?" Kath asked her friends after they finished their late lunch—still in Kath's and Tatiana's guest room.

Fortunately, none of them asked questions. Maybe they knew what she wanted. It was overdue either way. Since how long had she been sitting on this? Forever. They needed to talk about this. They needed to talk about this all.

"We need to talk," she added.

"Yeah, I guessed so." The prince leaned back, mustering her. "Are you better now?" At least he shared his heavy dislike for Cecilia. Maybe he finally found a reason to get rid of her.

"Kind of," Kath replied. "What about that recording?"

"Oh, yeah, the chemistry thing." Michael nodded. "I remember."

"Because, at the moment, I do agree." She sat down on the other side of the room, watching the prince quietly. What was he going to respond? Did he just admit it? Was he going to throw her out? She wasn't sure _what_ she wanted.

"So do I, otherwise I wouldn't have said it," he admitted. "If you want to leave, Katherine, you are free to do so, but… I've practically just sent my best friend into… I'm not even sure."

"I… with what happened with Cecilia, I just… I don't want to see her anymore." Kath sighed—the memory of Cecilia and everything was terrible. Days and nights of crying in her bed, wanting it all to stop, but not being able to tell anyone.

"You could go home for a while, until we've gotten rid of her? Even if she was eliminated, she'd probably find a way back to hang around. Through her family name, I guess. Something like that. If you were to go home for a while, you could think through things too."

"…Yeah, let's do that. I—" The door opened.

"Michael?" Emilia, nearly falling over without the crutches, spoke. "We… we need to talk." She caught her breath. " _Now_."

"We're just… like… having a really deep conversation here?"

"Yeah, but Sam was just hospitalised!" Rihanna pushed the princess aside. Emilia lost her balance.

Michael jumped up. "What?!" He ignored his sister on the ground. "What do you mean?" "What happened?"

"We're not sure," Rihanna responded. "We just figured out because someone made the connection, apparently, but… that's what we know. He was shot by some thug."

"Wha—wha…" The prince broke off, falling back onto the chair he had just sat on. His feet couldn't hold him. What? No. No. No. No. No. _No._ Whatever Emilia added, he didn't comprehend it. His heart boxed against his chest as if he had just ran from one side of LA to the other. He closed his eyes. No. No. No. That couldn't be. What Sam alright? What? Why? Why had they hurt him? No. No. No. No. His vision filled with black spots, appearing and reappearing like disco lights. Had he gotten into a wrong place? Why would someone shoot him though?

"Michael?" He could hear Emilia next to him, but she was distant too. As if _he_ wasn't there, Michael thought. "Hey, calm down," the princess added. No. No. No. No.

Calm down? _How_? His—Sam was just attacked! God knew whenever he was going to be fine! He could be dying as they spoke! No. No. No. No. Why wasn't—why had this happened in the first place? Was it because of Silvestre? No. No. No. No.

He felt like dying. He felt like thousands of needles were pinching his skin. He felt the life being drained out of his body. His arms sacked down next to him. Michael as a whole seemed to be sacking down, his head forward. Desperate, he wished to tell them something. To make sure Sam was alright, cared for and not alone. He had no one to trust after all.

He gasped for air that he seemed to be unable to breath. Michael's head went blank. Blank as if nothing was in there. As if it was empty, he didn't think anything. Not even an "I am dying". Just nothing. Nothing.

It ended. It always did. But by then, Rihanna was about to call an ambulance herself. Even though Michael convinced her not to do so (with lots of struggles, and the help of Kath and Isa who knew how panic attacks could feel like), he ended up banished to bed. Rihanna promised to stay with their friend who, as of now, wasn't conscious.

Michael slept for the rest of the day and the following night with the promise that he could see his best friend only when he had slept. Drained of any energy, Michael had to agree.

* . * . *

Michael insisted on going before the breakfast, and being the Crown Prince, he had the power to ignore visiting hours—apparently. That, and the hospital wanted to get rid of the press who had gotten wind of it. Emilia was watching him—unlike Rihanna, she had gotten up to come with him—worried and wondering. She still wanted answers on what she heard, but was it wrong to ask now? No. She needed to know. Now. Michael would be fine. She closed the window to the driver.

"Michael… Yesterday, I heard a conversation between Silvestre and Greene. Then between Scarlet Hunter and her…"

"Sam's fired," Michael muttered coldly. "Yes, why?"

"They spoke about a, I quote, criminal past."

"…" Michael sighed. "That's true."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Sam did drugs a while ago," Michael replied. He hesitated, as if there was more. There had to be more, she thought.

"Greene said that there were holes in his background too."

"… There… it's... it's difficult. We met four-ish years ago, when he was just getting out of his addiction. He was working with that cool counsellor-therapist-guy who helped him heaps…"

"Does he still have contact to him?" Emilia asked curious.

Michael shook his head. "He's in prison. He was arrested for assaulting some of the students. Sam nearly fell victim too, apparently. It… it wasn't easy for him. That was when…" He hesitated. "That was when we grew close. But… yeah. He got back on track and all, finished his school stuff and then started university. Sam always called him 'chilled, hairy pirate guy', when we talked about him…"

"What about the holes?"

"Long story," Mike replied. "Don't worry about it."

"Now I do."

"He isn't going to kill you in your sleep," Mike joked sour.

"Why does Greene want him gone then?" Emilia wondered.

"Press reasons. Image reasons. Whatever. I don't care." He sighed. "Silvestre wants me to address the press."

"With what?"

"Something about Sam, the Bonovich 'hospitality', Kath taking time off, and Cecilia's out."

"Cecilia is out now?" Emilia asked to confirm.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. Greene's done with her, and I can finally get rid of her." He glanced down at his phone where Silvestre had given him anything he needed. The car stopped at the hospital, and he tensed. Great. Nausea. He gulped, even though he felt like he was about to throw up. He wasn't—he knew that—but the feeling wasn't particularly pleasant. He rubbed against his tense arms, remembering that he hadn't eliminated Cecilia personally yet. That probably was going to backlash at him, but he wanted to get it behind him.

"You're gonna hate yourself for this," he told himself when he left the car. The driver proceeded to help Emilia with getting out—would she ever walk without crutches?—as Michael faced the demons that were waiting for him.

A part of him wanted to just ignore them, but he remembered that the hospital had been asking for him to address them in the hope of getting rid of them. Understandable, he thought. Something in him wanted to just read out what Silvestre had given him, but he couldn't do that.

"Good morning," he greeted them, forcing a smile. He took a deep breath, looking for a beginning. He didn't. Silvestre couldn't have given him that huh?

"Can you comment on the rumours of Mr Jones' criminal history?"

Yes. No. Yes. "Sam… Samuel Jones is my best friend, and I couldn't ever imagine him hurting anyone. The local police has been very helpful in…" He glanced to Emilia who smiled encouraging. Was he on the right track? Wasn't he messing up? Wait—if they now knew of Sam's past, couldn't they just keep him? Would it make a difference? "They are working… hard… on… figuring this out." He should have asked for cue cards. This was worse than his 8th grade presentation on horror movies.

What next? Sam—done. He wasn't going to say more… Michael looked at the hospital. Right. They wanted the press gone. "I hope that… all patients of the…" Insert name of the hospital. Insert name of the hospital. What was the name!? "I hope that all patients of the local hospital will not… will not struggle with the presence of my best friend, and the… the press attention that follows." Please take the hint, Michael thought.

"Besides that… we're…" Michael stocked.

Emilia nodded to him, trying to be encouraging—again. She mouthed something. "…What?" Michael whispered confused. "B—Oh"

He returned his attention to the press, "We are, of course, very grateful for the hospitality of the Bonovich family, but due to special circumstances, one of the Selected, Katherine Rhodes, has decided to take time off the Selection. Kath will return to her home for the duration of this time period."

Someone shouted the question why.

Michael couldn't help a slight smile. "Bullying, which brings me to my next point. Cecilia Stark is out of the Selection for repetitively displaying inappropriate behaviour, starting with using her late father's position to enter the Selection alone. Any more questions will be answered very soon by the public relations office."

"How long have you been aware of that?"

"Practically the beginning," Michael replied, "but it wasn't my decision to do anything on that, unfortunately. I am aware that it's ridiculous, but I had no word in this. I apologise for that, but it wasn't my decision. I am taking the Selection serious, but many things exist, I cannot change things." He paused. Anything else? No. "Thank you for your time. If you don't mind, I'd like to visit my best friend. I hope you will not disturb the hospital and the people here."

He paused, nervous for them to say anything. They did ask questions, but there was nothing he needed to bother with—he believed. He headed towards his sister, and alongside her, inside the hospital, ending where his best friend was.

The relief was written all over his face when Michael entered the room in which Sam stayed. Obviously, given the time, he was still asleep, but Michael was fine to wait. Emilia waited outside for the moment—probably to meet some children? That sounded like an Emilia-thing to do—and leave them alone.

Eventually, Sam came to wake up. Mike caught him up, Sam told him the story about the police questioning him, the result that the dealer was caught and he was _fairly_ fine. No issues about him living under a wrong name—they had made sure that all done there was legal by now.

"So, you basically said that you are, or will, take the Selection serious?" Sam summarised Mike's press conference.

"I guess so?" Michael shrugged.

"Are you serious?"

"I know… I know where my heart is," the prince replied after hesitation, "even if that's no outcome."

"With Cecilia gone, who would your father want?" Sam wondered. "I always thought that with Charlotte…"

"You know that mum never dealt well with the media attention," Michael reminded Sam. "He doesn't want that to repeat. I appreciate it, and I got to say, I agree, but…" He sighed. "I do guess he'd prefer to see a 'woman of good family'."

"Is there anyone with a 'good family', by definition?"

"Nope," Michael shrugged. "The Starks have the family tradition going back to times of the caste system, yes, but no one with _that_ kind of history is back. There's just Kath and Isa, who I presume will be his favourites."

"Do you think he'll force you into marrying one of them? Even if they don't want to?"

"No," Mike shook his head, "I doubt that. Isa is dating Jason, and Kath… She belongs into science. Or engineering. Wherever it belongs to—whatever."

"So… how will this end?"

"Honestly?" Michael sighed. "I have no idea… Maybe I can convince him? Maybe I can call this off can date properly? Who knows? Maybe Deus ex Machina, the next world war starts and I die?"

"A dim outsight," Sam replied. "What about the other girls?"

"I got to admit—I haven't learned all names. I know the people around Rihanna, because of Rihanna, but that's it."

"So, you weren't that honest after all," Sam chuckled. "It'll be fine. Where's Emilia? Rihanna?"

"Rihanna probably coming here at some point, and Emmy is with the children, I guess."

"Poor Rihanna," Sam replied. They both knew that Rihanna wasn't that much of a fan of little children. "Are we going to wait for them to come by? I won't get discharged until later."

"I kind of gotta eliminate Cecilia."

"You are heading back?"

"Nah, I was thinking of a phone call." Michael shrugged. "She knows that she never had a real chance. I think. She should know I'm not a fan of her politics?"

"You're in a hospital, Mike. No phones here," Sam reminded him with a smirk on her face.

"… I'll do it later then, huh?"

"Just go outside for the moment. I haven't had breakfast yet either way." Sam smiled. "I'll be fine."

Michal hesitated. He didn't want to leave his best friend alone. No way would he do that— not now. He shook his head. "Not now. I couldn't… I already let Silvestre—"

"Mike, Silvestre and I had a deal the whole time. Didn't you know? I thought she told you. It was just a question of time until _something_ would come out—be it now or in the past. Someone would have figured out about my past. It's… it's surprising that no one did until now, and that's just because I'm from another province."

"Yes, but, you still were _shot_!"

"Complain to Greene about gun laws?" Sam shrugged, groaning from the probably pain of the round, but bit the pain down. "Mike—Cecilia is just going to give you more problems with the press if it comes out that you eliminated her in public before telling you in person."

Michael shrugged. "But that's inevitably happening." He tried to look casual, but Sam wasn't buying that it wasn't already worrying him now.

"No need to make it worse?" Sam sighed. "Did I… did I tell you about her talking to me?"

"Huh?"

"She stopped me inside… That's why I… I snapped, and ran off. I needed to get away from anything Stark. Anything reminding me, really. I ended up in some shady alleys. Habit, I guess. But… essentially, I don't know _who_ knows who _I_ am anymore."

"So… there's Cecilia, then? Your dad probably will know soon too. Silvestre?"

Sam shook his head. "Knowing her, it's more likely that she'd have kept me around to avoid any politics-mix-with-royalty scandals, or anything. Stark history in politics and so on, you know." An empty chuckle left his lips.

"We should tell Emmy and Rihanna," Michael muttered.

"That," Sam reminded the crown prince with emphasis, "is my decision, your highness."

Mike bit on his lip. "Sorry. Yes. Of course."

"We can, yes, but… Let it be me, please."

"Of course. Yes, sure. You do it."

Sam smiled relieved. "Thank you," he responded. He glanced at his untouched breakfast. "You should go and call Cecilia now, and I eat my food."

This time, the crown prince agreed, and quietly left the room. Emilia wasn't waiting outside anymore, so she probably had gone to do what she could to best. Meet and cheer up people, and be the princess he was born to be.

He skimmed his phone for Cecilia's number, just to find that he didn't have it. _Good work, Mike_ , he thought. He needed to go via Silvestre whom he texted and got the number.

"I presume you're calling to tell me that I'm out?" Cecilia's voice was sharp as a knife. Evidently, he wouldn't have wanted to be around her in person.

"Yeah." A pause. "You should have known—sorry, but, you've been in only on Greene forever."

"You never gave me a chance, you know," Cecilia pleaded. Even though she was good in keeping her voice stable, Michael thought it to be begging rather than anything else.

"… Cecilia, are you seriously trying this? After how you treated my best friend?"

"So you knew, huh?" She muttered perplexed. "I don't understand. Why would you hang out with him?"

"Because my views aren't from the 20th century, Cecilia." Michael sighed. "But, yeah, let alone that was a reason why I'd never consider you."

"… Well, this isn't nice."

"Sad life."

* . * . *

 **Africa Oaks:** Hey mum?  
 **Africa Oaks:** Can I have some more time on the movie thing?  
 **Alina Oaks:** Why honey? Do you not like the script?  
 **Africa Oaks:** No. I just feel like I should stay with my friends.  
 **Alina Oaks:** It's about your career though, darling. This could be a great chance in your life! You can keep in touch with them over the internet too…  
 **Alina Oaks:** You'd go to South Africa again too. It's been ages since we last went there, honey.  
 **Africa Oaks:** I know… I just need time, OK?  
 **Alina Oaks:** We need to talk about something either way. Do you think we could video call this evening?  
 **Africa Oaks:** Sure?  
 **Alina Oaks:** Good. See you later, honey. I love you.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: No Tears Left To Cry**


	47. No Tears Left To Cry

**47**

 **No Tears Left To Cry**

"Sam!" Rihanna eventually arrived.

The two blondes joined Sam and Mike, one more openly worried than the other. No doubt, both were, but as usual, Rihanna was more expressive. Both of them checked on Sam again, who dreaded to tell them the same story he told Michael again, but what kind of choice did he have? Rather little, evidently.

"But why did you go to town in the first place?" Rihanna eventually came to wonder.

Sam took a deep breath. "Well, that's the long story here," he muttered. He glanced to Michael who, in turn, was looking at his sister and her best friend. Evidently, he wasn't too sure on what to do next. But he had promised him to leave the decision to Sam.

He didn't want people to know. He had finished his life as Simon Stark ages ago. No need to deal with anything like that anymore, but then again, he always knew that it was coming.

"Cecilia—"

"Cecilia shot you!?" Rihanna exclaimed, too large.

"…I wish she did," Sam muttered sarcastic. "No, Cecilia…" He groaned. "This is difficult to explain. Cecilia is my cousin, and she reminded me of some bad stories."

" _What_."

Emilia a little bit more articulated than Rihanna. "Pardon me? Did I understand you correctly?"

"My birth name is Simon Stark. Our fathers are—were—brothers. I'm not exactly in contact with them anymore though."

Rihanna looked to Sam, and the two present royals. "But… you're Asian, aren't you? Cecilia is—"

"Half, actually," Sam replied. "My mother is from New Asia. She immigrated to Illéa from a poorer area but got caught up with the wrong people. Debts and all forced her into prostitution, where she met my father. He got her pregnant, and worried about family reputation and all, he had to marry her." Sam paused, laughing empty. "Not a fun home to grow up in, considering the Stark's racism."

"Oh," Rihanna, as articulated as always, said.

"I presume your relationship with Cecilia isn't very good?"

"I'd call it terrible." Sam shrugged. "Now, me being bisexual wasn't very helpful either—"

"Wait, you were serious?" Rihanna demanded to know. "I thought that was part of the lie to protect Jisa."

"Jisa?" Michael asked.

"I'm looking for shipping tames too," Rihanna explained.

"Yes, I was. I dated a guy for a while, which caused more trouble, and eventually came to meet Mayli. You know the story. She was sweet, but by then, my parents were in the process of separating. My mum was just as homophobic as my father, meaning she wasn't the nicest mother either. Mother and I weren't in the best financial position, and she wasn't helping. My relationship with my mum deteriorated and I ran off… Why am I telling you my life story again? Right. I have terrible relationship with Cecilia, and essentially, she made me snap. I ran off."

"Oh…" Rihanna nodded.

Emilia mustered him. Michael had mentioned that she told her about his past in bits and tads, meaning that she probably wouldn't ever add it all up. They'd need to check what she knew otherwise.

"I changed my name along the way, and since the Starks thought I was dead, Cecilia didn't add up who I am until recently. I suppose Mayli told her, since she knew."

"Well, she's out now…"

"My identity maybe too though. We might want to talk to Silvestre about that too."

"When you're out of hospital, Sam," Michael said. "We can talk to her when we're back in Angeles."

"Sounds like a good idea."

* . * . *

Following another evening in Clermont, and Sam's eventual hospital discharge, the whole group (sans Kath, including Cecilia) returned to Angeles. Cecilia left, but it became evident that no other eliminations were coming. Time passes with the usual doing.

A bit after their trip to Clermont, Rihanna leaned against the wall in order to block Michael's path. It was evening, and Michael had just come home from an engagement he had visited alongside his sister. Emilia was probably in the Women's Room again though—enjoying hanging out with the ladies of the Selection and a few other friends who had visited.

With all girls occupied, this was time for their plan.

"We need to talk."

Michael looked up from his phone. "You sound like you're about to break up. I thought you and Emmy are a thing?"

"You never spoke to her about that again, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Michael laughed ironic, "that's true, but my best friend kind of got shot."

"Emmy's been anxious that you maybe think the same as your dad."

" _I don't_ , I promise." Michael's answer came in an instant. Emmy _was_ his little sister after all. "But yeah, other stuff came in between."

"Have you… have you ever thought about the suggestion?" Rihanna asked with hesitation.

"Uh," Michael bit on his lip. "I haven't yet, sorry. I just had lots of stuff in my head… Have you spoken to your mother?"

Rihanna shook her head. "To no one but you. No one but you knows. Well, Emmy and I do—obviously—but details. You get the deal. No one but us three."

"Hmm…" Michael paused. This just didn't make sense though. "Shouldn't you talk to Silvestre about it? She still seems unhappy with the idea of something being between us."

"Mum kind of knows that I'm bi, but I'm not sure if she has even the faintest idea of Emmy and me."

"She's in charge of Emmy's communication to the press. Before she gets rushed over by it, wouldn't it make sense to tell her?"

Rihanna bit on her lip. "Yeah, I guess so." She sighed. "I… I guess yeah."

"Why do you two even think that there'll be a problem with you and Emmy secretly dating?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. But was there an issue with you living your life? No, the Selection came. I'm worried… What if yours ends, and Greene forces Emmy into one?"

"Where would be the difference? Between now and then?"

"What if Greene'd want me gone like Sam?"

"You two didn't know that when Emmy told me."

Rihanna sighed. "Mike… I'm offering you a chance to end this all."

Michael shook his head. "It's not, no. Greene wants the Selection to span time, remember?"

Rihanna sighed. "It's… it's just an offer for you, if you need a way to end it. Besides, I don't care who you're dating or not—you've been a virgin for ages. I just don't only want to be the spare's best friend anymore either. It's like I'm the shadow of a shadow, even if I love that shadow?"

"Wait… so do you want to do this to be with Emmy, or to be famous?"

Rihanna sighed. "Both, I guess. Does it matter?"

Probably, it did. "I… It's the same answer again—I won't decide anything." He stepped past her, puzzled. The addition of Rihanna's desire not to be in the shadows probably wasn't something he expected, the blonde concluded. "See you."

Rihanna turned around herself, to watch him walk off. "Well… This wasn't the best outcome…" she muttered ironic. Straightening her back, Rihanna took a deep breath. This was probably not good…?

* . * . *

When Kath left the no-visitors zone of the airport, she recognised her father waiting for her happily. Edwin Rhodes had called her before, promising to pick her up from the only flight she had gotten. Seeing her father again, even if it hadn't been that much between the ever-busy Christmas celebrations and now, she was glad to be home.

"Dad!" she called out and came to embrace him happily.

"How are you?" Edwin asked. She hadn't exactly explained the reasons for her sudden return home, and the lack of real suit cases (there was, definitely, more in Angeles) told him that she wasn't out of the Selection.

"I'm fine," Kath replied, although she wasn't so sure about that. "Well, kind of."

Her father took her suitcase and they walked to the car together. It was warmer on Dominica, but it felt great to be home again. The comparatively little time since she had been last here already felt long again. Kath smiled.

"So, how does it come that you are here again?" Edwin asked. "The only things I heard were about Michael's friend being shot. You are save, aren't you? Are they hiding something?" He looked to her, worried, before giving their driver a brief instruction to head home.

"I am, of course. I don't know what exactly happened to Sam," she explained. Of course, that wouldn't sound very convincing to her father. But since Kath genuinely only knew that Sam had been shot by a thug, as they had been told before. "Some thug shot him, I believe."

"How exactly did a thug get onto the—"

Kath groaned. "Not now, dad." She didn't intend to sound mean, but it probably did. Maybe it was the travel stress, and herself thinking about whenever she had, basically, eliminated herself from the Selection or not. It just was one big 'I don't know' that she didn't want.

Had she eliminated herself by agreeing to head home? Wasn't that essentially elimination? It didn't matter to her _that_ much, didn't it? She sighed, looking out of the windows. The views of the road reminded her of heading home in school holidays.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket, skimming through the messages she had gotten. Eliza had caught wind of her taking some time off, evidently. Too bad that she was working on the mainland of Illéa and getting to her would mean she'd need to fly across most of her home country.

 **Eliza:** Kath  
 **Eliza:** Why are you taking a break  
 **Eliza:** tell me the whole story.

 **Kath:** Cecilia went to the same school as I did. She is one of the girls who used to bully me at school, and the photos that resurfaced came from that time.

 **Eliza:** oooh. I saw them. That's so mean! Is that even legal? ?_?

 **Kath:** She got away with it last time, but I never reported that it was her. Back then, I only had comments and the feeling as 'proof' either way, but I guess it's her. It has to be her.

 **Eliza:** thank god that bitch's out.

 **Kath:** is she?

 **Eliza:** yeah. Didn't you hear?

 **Kath:** Since when? She was in the last time I talked to Michael.

 **Eliza:** He told the press this morning.

 **Kath:** Where?

 **Eliza:** At the hospital. Wait, I'll find a video recording.

Eliza sent Kath a YouTube link, which Kath promptly opened. Of course, the sound coming from the video attracted her father's attention. He leaned over, and Kath turned her phone to show him the amateur recording of the Crown Prince.

"So… Sam has a criminal history, but Michael didn't confirm anything. Bonovich stuff, I'm on a hiatus and Cecilia is out? Cecilia is eliminated!" She smiled. "That's great!"

Edwin rose an eyebrow. "Is it? Is Miss Stark that bad?"

Oh. Right. By now, he knew that _someone_ bullied her, but not _who_. She glanced at her father, and back to her phone. Telling him probably was a good idea—especially since she _did_ promise her family to be honest about anything with that since she told the about the bullying year later.

"She's… she wasn't very friendly, yes."

"Katherine? What do you mean?"

"She's… Did I tell you about Mayli?" Edwin shook his head, and Kath began telling him about Mayli Yi.

"I don't like her," Edwin remarked. "She doesn't sound like a particularly good person to me. It's good that Michael eventually saw the truth. Do you know what happened?"

"No," Kath shrugged, "and nor do I, or anyone else I know. Cecilia is similar, but less manipulating and planning. I'm glad that she's out though. She was, compared to Mayli, less of an… obvious annoyance? Yeah." Except that it was still Cecilia Stark, the beloved darling of her grade who had been in the perfect position to make fun of Kath, just because she was blonde, younger and better than them. Jealously.

"But now, seriously—are you sure, you are safe with them? I'm just worried!"

" _I am_!" Kath repeated. "I just asked Rho about what exactly happened. She might be able to figure it out, but I think they might be busy right now. There was a plan about sightseeing after all…"

Her father didn't give in. "I'm also worried about how you are handling these news articles from recently, dear. What was—"

Kath shook her head. "That was Cecilia, and she only got them because she took them at school."

"She—what?"

"Cecilia was one of the bullies back in high school," Kath replied.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Or anyone. There is no way they would have let her stay. Michael wouldn't allow that, would he? If so, I don't want you going back."

"Michael couldn't get rid of her—apparently he hates her—because Greene kept her in. He got the OK to eliminate her today, dad, so he did." She sighed. "Dad, I promise you—I'll be fine!"

"I am not so sure."

Kath sighed. She'd convince them. She'd manage. "Well, we've got enough time to discuss."

* . * . *

"… Can I just give up?" Michael asked after Tilly charged him _another_ $2000 for landing on her Boardwalk again. The game had been going on for only half an hour, but she was in the absolute lead. He probably also owned her $1000 for times she had let him go.

"Sure," Tilly replied.

"How do you win though? You've literally bought anything you landed on!"

Tilly shrugged. "I don't know—I was just lucky, maybe?" She jumped up from the floor. "What next?" she hummed. They had more than enough time until dinner, and the whole afternoon had been blocked for their date.

"No board game, please. You'd probably win too."

"I'm not that good though?"

Michael laughed. "You said that when we started Monopoly too."

He rose (much less elegant and fast than Tilly though—where did she store the energy?) and joined her. "See how Mr. Serious, Flora and Rock are doing?"

"That sounds cool!" Tilly beamed.

A little bit later, they found the dogs and decided that they might as well go into the garden to keep them entertained. Alongside some play toys for them, they lead the three dogs (who evidently all got along well) to the garden, scaring off two poor Selected with their loud and happy barking. Michael didn't seem too bothered.

Mr. Serious got along perfectly fine with the two dogs of the prince and princess, something that made both of them happy. They could have not gotten along at all as well, and that would have been an issue. But fortunately, _the dogs_ were all accepting and together, they played around cheerfully.

While Rock and Mr. Serious decided to play tug war with one big toy, allowing their owners to take a brief rest. Flora, apparently uninterested in the tug war, followed them though.

"Hey… Michael?" Tilly asked carefully.

"Hmm?" The Crown Prince looked up. "Yeah?"

"When we… when we first went to the animal shelter, you asked why I would want to be princess—why did you ask?"

Michael looked up to the slowly setting sun of Angeles. "You know, my dad's… he never actually said anything, but you just notice it. To him, most girls aren't 'fit', or something. Mum's… she's kind of from the upper class, but she still never dealt well with the press attention. I can't see why anyone would want it, you know?"

"The press attention?" Tilly asked. "You really don't like them, huh…"

"They're one single nightmare. Probably the only one I have, yeah."

"But your mother… What did she do to make them dislike her? I never read anything like that."

"That's because she almost was paranoid about making sure to appear 'correct' and all. Always smile, always be happy, even if she wasn't."

"If she wasn't? What do you mean?" Tilly asked, tilting her head. "What happened to her?"

"I… I often felt like she and dad just weren't as happy as they were once. Mum always seemed a bit too paranoid, and she visited some friends Silvestre didn't know too often…"

"So, you think she… she had an affair?" Tilly's eyes grew big. "I can' believe that!"

"I never found any proof, and neither Emmy nor Rihanna believe it."

"What about Silvestre? They were close, weren't they?"

Michael sighed. "I'm not very comfortable with bringing up _that_ topic to her. Especially now." He shook his head. "So, yeah. I couldn't understand why anyone would volunteer for that stress."

"I would be fine with it," Tilly smiled at him. "Seriously."

Michael nodded vaguely. He couldn't imagine it though. Tilly was way too bright and happy to deal with it. Just like his mother had been when they were younger. There was no way she wouldn't break like Charlotte Schreave had, back then. Maybe that was why she always looked at Emmy and Rihanna as if she was longing for something she could never fulfill.

He looked down at Flora who laid nearby his feet, napping. Tilly was watching him, but he didn't say anything. She probably was expecting him to say anything (of course she was), but a few moments later, she jumped up and skipped over to the dogs. Michael smiled when she tried joining the tug war.

"Hey, wait for me!"

His father didn't like most girls. Isadora, Rhosyn and Katherine probably knew how the elite worked. Africa and Tatiana knew how it was to have famous families. Rihanna had grown up alongside him and his sister. But Tilly? The other girls? They had no chance in his eyes.

Maybe they didn't, and the pressure would tear them apart once this all ended.

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: This Is Me**


	48. This Is Me

**48**

 **This is me**

Sunday came, and alongside the news of yet another problem for Greene and the demand for a vote of no confidence in the parliament, it was a rather calm morning for Silvestre. As usual—continuing a tradition they knew since ages—Emilia, Michael, Rihanna, Silvestre and Richard (who soon excused himself though—maybe to smoke or so, or have a drink (Mike was not the only one to enjoy it!)) sat together eating breakfast. Michael eventually also left, leaving the three women alone.

"How has your week been?" Emilia began diplomatic. Rihanna had told her about her conversation with Michael, and the two girls were going to sort this out now.

"Relatively calm, but with this morning's news, I doubt it'll stay that way," Silvestre replied. "What about you?"

"Fine," Emmy replied. It mainly had been hanging out with Rihanna and their friends, as well as her therapy to get back on her feet. Emmy was still struggling with her balance, and probably couldn't ever walk in the same way again. "Nothing special."

"Same here," Rihanna added.

Silvestre laughed. "Teenagers."

"It's not even a year anymore! I'll turn twenty in May!" Rihanna insisted vocally, causing them all to laugh.

Silvestre sipped a bit more from her tea. Emilia took another bit from her breakfast. Rihanna placed her cutlery onto her plate. Silvestre placed the cup down. Emilia took another bit. Rihanna took her cup of coffee. She glanced To Emilia who dutifully was eating her breakfast. Silence.

"So…" Someone had to start, apparently, and Rihanna decided to volunteer as tribute. "Long story, but we need to tell you something."

If Michael's reaction basically had been "What? Oh. Ok. Sure. Do what you want," then maybe her mother would react the same way? That was what Rihanna hoped, but she wasn't sure what to expect. Silvestre did not share the King's opinions but… Who would know how she'd react.

Under the table, Emilia took Rihanna's hand. She was there. This would work. They were going to be fine. Rihanna glanced to Emilia.

"I'm gay," the princess spoke with crystal clear voice. Years of life in public certainly helped her.

Rihanna didn't look at her mother's expression, and remained glancing at her girlfriend. "And I am bi. And we are dating," she pressed out. Rihanna closed her eyes, trembling. She didn't want to look at her mother. Emilia squeezes her hand.

She could hear Silvestre sigh. "… Alright." Slowly, Rihanna faced back. She wasn't sure what she was even thinking or what her expression said. Surprise? Disappointment? Dislike? Anger? She didn't know. "… Any more background?"

"Well… I dated some girls and boys through school?" Rihanna shyly replied. What was she supposed to say? Tell a story how she ended up playing Truth or Date, was dared to make out with a girl and didn't think it was bad?

"I…" She wasn't too happy with this, was she? She definitely wasn't. "I was more thinking about you two, but sure."

At least Emilia was awkward as well. "Uh… do you remember when we went and travelled around the world last year?"

"… Yes. Yes, I do." Silvestre sighed. "Okay? Nice for you?" She glanced on her watch. "I need to go to work. See you two later." Silvestre hurried too much for this to be an actual work case, Rihanna thought.

As Silvestre stepped through the door, they could her hear mutter. "It's just a phase."

The glance the two gave each other said more than thousand words. This hasn't gone well, obviously. Rihanna sighed. "Well… what now?"

"I… I don't know?" Emilia replied.

"We still need to tell her of the plan."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to tell Michael first though? I mean, to convince him of it."

"He wants mum to know, so…"

* . * . *

The café they had chosen was certainly homey and cute, but that didn't seem to stop Jennifer Loveren from trying to get the number of a young actor Alina recently worked with. An awkward situation for the actress, and even more for Africa, Wallis and Tatiana who were quietly sitting next to them, nipping their coffee.

"Please?" Jennifer tried again, without success.

"Sorry, but I don't actually have it. I'd need to call so many people to get it," Alina replied apologetic. Africa wasn't completely sure whenever she genuinely felt apologetic or it was an act (her mother _was_ a great actress…), but to her, it didn't matter.

Jennifer didn't need to know that said actor had a girlfriend, and that she just had been chatting with her this morning.

"So… how's life been?" Wallis slowly asked, evidently hoping to change the topic.

"Cool, I guess?" Africa shrugged. "I… uh…" she glanced at Jennifer. Did she want to tell Wallis about the movie-Selection drama in front of her? If Wallis and Alina ever married, Jennifer was the worst step sister ever.

"Yes! Of course! How's the Selection going? You're down to… what?"

"Eighteen girls are eliminated, and Kath is on a hiatus-ish thing." Africa replied. "Although, didn't the Calgary and Columbia girls leave too? They were considering it, because they felt like they'd be out soon either way."

Tatiana nodded. "They're leaving around next week, I think."

"So, you're down to fifteen? How is it going? Oh!" Jennifer smiled, nearly pushing down her cup of coffee. "Then the Elite is happening soon, isn't it?"

Tatiana shrugged. "I… I don't know?"

"Didn't Michael tell you?"

"Uh… no? Why should he do that?" Tatiana looked to Africa who shrugged. She didn't know either—that was good, wasn't it?

Jennifer groaned. "Oh, are you kidding me? He'd _obviously_ tell you, if he cared." She sighed, as if Tate had done some childish mistake. Maybe she had? But what? "Seriously, Tate, you need to put more energy into this! The Selection isn't some stupid game or something; it's serious!"

Tatiana didn't want to groan out loudly at her sister (not in front of her father at least), but Africa did the job for her. "Kiddo, you know nothing."

"Of course I do!"

"Based on what? Watching movies? TV? Blogs? Because if, you don't know anything." Africa leaned back. Of course she wouldn't—even if Jennie read absolutely everything and watched every single video, she wouldn't know that Michael had been forced in this from the very first moment.

Jennifer ignored Africa. "You seriously need to care more. You're not prominent in the Selection at all! Kathrine and Isadora are overtaking you completely! Plus, ever since the Elite rumours were proven false, no one takes me serious at school anymore. You were just a possibility, and now? The rumours' proven false through Cecilia. You need to try more!"

"I did not sign up for the Selection to make you popular at school!" Tate rose her voice angry. "That's your own job!"

"Yes, but—why don't you not care more? Is that that stupid disorder again? Get it—"

"Hey," Alina interrupted. "Jennifer, that's not nice." She _was_ a mother, and that came through.

Wallis, who probably had never been too good at parenting, sighed relieved and muttered a "Thank You" to Alina, who now carefully placed her hand on Tate's shoulder to calm her. Africa beamed, proud of her mother.

"You know," Tate's voice trembled with hatred though, "the only reason why I participated in the Selection was to get away from you all."

"You all…?" Jennifer repeated. Next to Alina, Wallis seemed to look down.

"You and mum. Dad a bit too. You've… I needed a break from you. I… I don't get how you can still hang out with mum when she literally destroyed our family!" She noticed Wallis. "No offence, dad."

"I'm not the one causing problems—you are! You're always… _we_ need to make sure not to trigger your moods or so. Do you know how annoying that is? It's freaking stressful, and just because I forgot it at 1am, I'm the one at fault!"

"Well, if you'd just accept how I am… That's what _I_ want—someone who understands me who I am. Someone who loves me who I am." Tate sighed. "Like Alina. She's super sweet. You admire starlets, don't you, Jennifer? Look at her."

Jennifer opened her mouth, but Tate gave her no time to respond. She rose, caught her breath and looked to her father. "Sorry, I know you wanted to spend a day with family and so on, but I'm not going to do this. Bye."

Seconds after Tate left the café, Alina gently pushed Africa's shoulder and nodded at the door where Tatiana had just disappeared through. Africa nodded—she got the hint—and followed her. It took a moment to catch up.

"I'm joining you, if you don't mind," she told Tate who silently nodded. "Wanna head back?"

"What do you define as 'back'?"

"The palace, of course," Africa replied. "Maybe we can join Rho, Isa and Rihanna?"

"Isa is on a fake date with Michael today," Tate reminded Africa who nodded at the memory.

"Then Rho it is."

Heading back to the palace was fairly quiet. Nothing special happened—the two girls kept silent. There wasn't really something they had to talk about either way, and they didn't particularly want to talk about anything. Tate evidently needed to figure out what to do.

Because of the good weather, most girls weren't in the Women's Room but outside. The only person in the room was surrounded by books. Very difficult looking books, Africa thought. Rho didn't notice them until they sat down next to her and Africa picked up a book.

"I once auditioned for a medical drama," she remembered. "When I was nine or so. I failed because I couldn't pronounce the job of the main character. I still don't know what it was."

"Medical dramas tend to emphasize on the drama, not the medicine," Rhosyn muttered, without looking up. She was writing something on in a nice-looking work book. The nice-looking of the notes didn't mean that Africa understood a word though. "That's why mum and dad never wanted us to read them."

"… OK. Nice to know?" Africa shrugged. To her, that was the deal with a drama TV show.

Rhosyn placed her pen down and closed her book. "Weren't you two going to town to meet your parents?"

Tate huffed. "Yeah, don't remind me."

Rho rose an eyebrow. "What happened?" Africa summarised.

"So, your sister was angry because you aren't super popular? What even is the current ranking?" She paused, glancing around in the room. "Tilly would know." Unfortunately, Tilly was out helping in an animal shelter—this time on her own.

"Let me go and fetch a magazine." Tate muttered. She rose to get it. "Oh. This has two. Public voting and expectations. There's more than one magazine doing this?"

"Almost all do them," Rho replied. "I think Tilly mentioned a meta ranking one online."

Africa snatched the magazine from Rho. "Okay… So… Let's see… For us, it's… wow, we're good… Well, okay, we're half of the girls left in the Selection. I'm first, and then, in the order, it's Tilly, Isa, Tate, and Rihanna. Kath is eleventh, Rho is thirteenth. This is the popularity one. I guess that makes sense. I don't see Jennifer's point though?"

"That sounds right," Rho nodded. "What about the expectations?"

"Pretty much the same, but with me on fourth after Rihanna, Tate on eight and Kath on seventh," Africa summarised. "I mean, eight and fourth are both within the Elite, so where's Jennifer's point?"

"I agree," Rho nodded. "Plus, it's up to you whenever you even want to win or not, and you're fairly likely to be in the Elite as well."

"Do you think so?" Tate asked. "How do you base that?"

"Michael's reactions to the reasons why you all entered," Rho replied. "We got them together a while ago. The two girls that are leaving soon both had "I wanna be famous" as reason, and I think that made Michael be colder to them."

"… But it's the same for me?" Africa rose an eyebrow, worried.

Rho shrugged. "You _are_ famous. I feel like it's another thing for you." She turned to Tate. "I feel you though."

" _Wait_. I want to know more on this," Africa interrupted. "Who do you think is up best right now?"

"Kath or Tilly," Rho replied. "Both had more genuine reasons rather than "I wanted to get away from home" or "I wanna be famous". Even if "Signing up half-drunk" isn't that genuine." Rho shrugged. "Plus, considering the current situation… Kath wasn't thrown up despite the audio thing. The conversation might was taken out of context, or faked completely. Michael didn't seem too worried in the next morning." She turned back to Tate. "I'm here if you want to rant more though."

"I think I'm just going to cut my contact to them for the moment."

"That sounds like a decision made," Rho replied with a smile. "Good luck with that."

"That reminds me though," Africa sighed. "I'm considering seriously accepting the offer."

Tate rose an eyebrow. "You mean the one for which you'd need to leave now?"

"Not now, but yeah. Somewhat soon. I don't exactly know when I'll go, but I'll probably talk to Michael about it soon. I haven't told mum yet though—don't tell anyone."

Rho smiled. "Sure, it's a secret. What do you know about it?"

"There's a little bit set in Europe—it's set in London—so we'll head there first for the actual filming, but I need to do some more work, and I might need to get a make-over." Africa replied. "I haven't gotten lots of into that's new though. I really look forward to it though. If the first movie's a success, there's a clause for two more movies of the book trilogy too!"

"That's great," Tate repeated. "We definitely need to stay in touch though!"

"Of course!" Africa smiled. "I'd love to. With everyone, really. Besides, one of these ten girls apparently is gonna be a princess. I want to be invited to that wedding!"

"… You have a really good point," Tate laughed. "And birthday parties! Didn't Rihanna mention that Emilia's eighteenth birthday was really good?"

"We better start collecting phone numbers," Africa agreed.

* . * . *

Michael knew what was coming. He was, against common perception, not completely stupid. Silvestre repeated what happened in New York ( _fortunately_ his father was going to make the public comment of the royal family), and what Greene wanted to happen. Once again, Michael just presumed that the prime minister had something in the hand to force him into this.

"Who do you see in the Elite?" Silvestre, a bit more distraught than Mike expected, asked hurried.

"Who do we have right now?"

Silvestre was unimpressed. "You still haven't memorized all names?"

Oops. "Uh, no?"

Silvestre silently shook her head, but pulled a file open. "Rihanna from Angeles, Isadora Bonovich from Clermont, Katherine Rhodes from Dominica, Rhosyn Reynolds from Honduras, Sylvia Witcher from Hudson, Octavia Serenoko from Labrador, Abby Watch from Lakedon, Viridian Spies from Midston, Tatiana Loveren from Paloma, Michelle Editor from Panama, Rosa Iceland from Sonage, Lily Letters from Sota, Dr Kay Strange from Waverly, Othilia Joyce from Whites and Africa Oaks from Zuni. Greene wants five out now."

"Rihanna Lorde, Rhosyn Reynolds, Isadora Bonovich." Michael immediately listed. Silvestre seemed to be about to say something, but she didn't, leaving them in awkward silence. She knew about Rihanna, Rho and Isa being his spies, didn't she? "Tilly Joyce and Africa Oaks too. How many are that? Five. Okay." He paused. This was easy, but also frightening.

The Elite used to be a very big thing, apparently, but now? Greene probably wanted Silvestre to make it a big thing, but it just didn't feel like one. Maybe because he now has an escape. An unlikely but possible escape. If this didn't work out… If he couldn't…. Better not think about it.

"Wait… Kay is the super prodigy who did her MD and PhD at the same time and what not, isn't she? The marvel fangirl?" Silvestre nodded. "Ok. She's out. She's too far above my league."

Silvestre made a note, making no comment. At least that, he was given.

"Then… Viridian is the one who wrote this terrible heart-wrecking story, isn't she? What was it called again? _The Selection and The Spy_? The one where Rihanna complained about too little murder while literally everyone else thought she was the devil? She's out too. She can't have a heart."

Silvestre needed to stop herself from laughing. Evidently, she knew of the discussion about Rihanna and her belief that the story needed more death. Emilia had been heart broken by it.

"Tatiana… Tate's in Rihanna's gang, isn't she? She's in." Michael nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Now I definitely am." A secret rebellion against Silvestre's opinion on Sam. Plus, she wasn't that bad. "Rosa Iceland's a peace maker, isn't she? Let's keep her. Sylvia and Octavia… I don't remember much about them. They're out…. I need one more out, don't I?"

"Well… I want to keep Kath for sure… So that leaves Abby, Michelle and Lily. Right?"

Silvestre nodded. "One of them is out."

"Abby is the one from Switzerland. Lilly is British, isn't she? The musical theatre student who's a nerd. She does DnD, doesn't she? I liked her. She's in. I think I'll take Abby though. Michelle likes Viridian's book too much."

"Are you sure?" Silvestre asked.

Michael looked at her. "No, not at all."

Silvestre sighed. "Sleep over it. Take a night. We can do this on Friday, okay? I suppose Greene wants this to be an event. I'll talk to the event team about it."

She pushed the folder into Michael's hands. Evidently, she had other work to do. "… Alright?" With a sign, he admitted to his destiny. He probably would visit a certain someone and discuss the topic with them.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Chapter: Counting stars**


	49. Counting Stars

**49**

 **Counting stars**

Michael sighed. Last night had not been productive in terms of who he'd chose, so the morning had to be it. With arms slung around him that weren't his, he glared over the ten names he had ended up choosing.

"Have you shown them to anyone?"

Michael shook his head. He had left breakfast as soon as possible. "No. Not even Rihanna, Emmy or dad."

"Would he agree?"

Michael turned his head around, laughing. "Yeah, no. He'd probably complain about me keeping her," he pointed towards Tilly, "while eliminating her." He pointed to another girl his father rather liked. "At least I'm keeping two he considers as possibilities."

"Your dad wasn't very keen on you choosing one girl in particular at first," his lover remarked grumpy.

"No, he didn't. I think he thought the same as I did. That we'd find a way out." Michael sighed. "I don't know if Greene just really hates me or thinks that people buy that this timing is random."

With the audio recording, people might actually buy it though, he remembered. Plus, the whole event had been going on forever. How long did Selections take on average? He had no idea. Probably could have googled that. But how did past monarchs genuinely find someone to like in it? He had someone he loved, yes, but still… the concept sounded weird. Maybe even weirder as they advanced on in the event.

Michael stretched, nearly slapping the person behind him. "I think I should get changed. The whole thing starts at six, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

He groaned. "Alrightie. I probably can't miss this, hmm…"

* . * . *

One thing was evident.

Some people suspected or knew what was happening, and some didn't. Tilly checked the bun Africa made with her hair one more time before entering the Great Hall. She recognised that the two girls that were practically known to be eliminated were wearing far too casual clothes.

The dress code was white tie, but some had chosen not to follow it, including them. Tilly recognised people she knew though, giving her the confidence that she was doing the right thing. Good. Great. Her dark blue floor-length gown was not false. She loved it, but that didn't stop her worry from being wrong. God knew what that could mean.

"You look good," Rho, in a floor length, lavender dress whispered. The dress didn't look like her style, so Tilly suspected that it was, once again, her mother's hand in it.

"Thank you," Tilly forced a smile over her nervousness. "Do you think the rumours are true?"

"About the Elite being announced today?" Rho asked. Tilly nodded. "Yes, although I haven't heard anything. But look, Greene is here, so I think that's a 'Yes, it's Elite time' hint, if you want to call it that." She added. "Also, my father and brother are visiting. Warn me when you see him."

Tilly nodded. "Of course, but why warn?"

"He doesn't know that I'm just faking being part anymore," Rho whispered.

"But don't you want to say hello?"

"Sure, but…" Rho sighed. "Why not. Let's look for them."

Tilly tilted her head, but then shrugged. "Sure," she hummed and looked around herself. She saw Silvestre talking to Scarlet and another woman (probably her wife?), with Emilia and Rihanna standing nearby. The princess wasn't using crouches, but seemed to be worried about her balance. The King was talking to Greene, both holding a glass (probably champagne) in their hands. The King's was visibly emptier. Africa and Tatiana, both wearing less 'elegant looking dresses' in Tilly's opinion (both red and more fishtail than broad ball gown).

"Oh, look, there's your brother." Tilly pointed towards one of the entrances. Jason and Isadora (in probably the shortest dress, but that seemed to be her style) were laughing, both holding a glass as well. "Shall we join them, or do you think they want to be alone?"

Rho at first nodded, but then she saw her father. She nudged Tilly, and started walking to them. Tilly followed with a smile, waving at her friends. "Hello! How are you doing?"

"I'm great," Jason smiled. "You?"

"…" Tilly smiled. "Nervous," she then pressed. "Very nervous."

"You'll be fine," Isadora claimed. "Mike likes you a lot."

"Are you sure?" Tilly worried. Isadora nodded.

"I'm good too," Rho nodded. "Although worried that dad will notice."

Jason nodded. "Understandable. Do you know if you're in the Elite?"

Rho shook her head. "I only know the rumours that it's the Elite today either way," she replied. "I mean, I hope that mum and dad will stop bugging me about the society stuff if I am not part of it, but I would be fine if I am out."

"Same," Isa sighed. "Although, I don't really know what I'd do back home."

"You could stay in Angeles," Rho suggested.

"And do what?" Isadora sighed. "I never did anything until now."

"What do you want to do?" Tilly asked. "What are your hobbies?"

"Parties, shopping, clubbing, getting drunk and high?" Isadora shrugged. "Nothing you can do for a living. And honestly? Clubbing has become boring. I haven't been to a club in forever. There's just nothing that interests me anymore."

"Well… you like shopping. Maybe you could do something related to fashion?" Rho suggested.

"I like fashion because it gives me freedom. I don't need to do what my mum wants from me."

"But you like it," Tilly concluded. "So why not try something related to it? Maybe modelling? You do look good."

Isa bit on her lip, looking aside. Jason placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Not now. We can do career coaching later," he said. He straightened his back. "Oh, dad! Hi!"

Tilly turned around and recognised Rhosyn's father approaching them. He smiled at them, looking rather friendly. If she didn't know, she'd probably fall for his charm. He did look like someone who belonged on the society.

"Good evening," Dr Reynolds said. "How are you?"

Everyone politely replied, but didn't particularly say anything else, leaving them in awkward silence. Tilly soon began bouncing up and down on her heels (which wasn't as easily on her high heels than it was in sneakers), and was about to turn around and move on to go and see if there was anything else that was interesting. The awkward silence is boring.

"Uh, dad, we need to tell you a secret." Jason stuttered. "Something that you need to promise me to keep it secret. It could be…"

"It could be vital for you status and reputation," Isadora added with a sweet smile. "I am sure you understand that it is necessary not to speak to anyone about this. Including, for example, your colleagues or wife."

"Of course," Dr Reynolds nodded immediately. Tilly titled her head again. What were they planning to say that was so secret? Something related to Jason's work? That sounded interesting, the nurse in Tilly thought.

"Jason and I have been dating," Isadora explained. Oh, so that? Not that interesting. "He's such a sweet young man." She smiled—this time genuinely.

"Oh, really?" The smile on Dr Reynold's face was genuine too, but it didn't seem out of happiness for his son and Isa, Tilly thought. He was mustering Isadora. She was rich, so probably because of her family's wealth and social standing…

"I… yes. I felt like it… it'd be better for you to know. I didn't want to lie to you…"

"So you are leaving the Selection?" Dr Reynolds asked.

Isadora shook her head. "For reasons, I am not," she replied. "My family doesn't know either, and I trust you to keep it secret."

"Of course I can," Dr Reynolds asked. "When do you intend to make it public though?"

"I… We're not sure yet," Jason replied with hesitation.

Tilly noticed Rhosyn taking her hand. She turned her head to her, and noticed that she was subtly pointing away. Did she want to leave? Tilly followed the direction, and recognised Katherine speaking to Silvestre and Scarlet Hunter. Oh!

"If you excuse us," Rhosyn rose her voice. "Tilly and will greet a friend."

Tilly nodded cheerfully, and soon, the two were heading towards Katherine. She smiled at them when she recognised them, said something else to Scarlet and approached them. Like Rhosyn, Katherine's dress was floor length and in light pink-crème chiffon.

"You look beautiful," Tilly told Kath.

"Thank you, you too though." Kath replied.

"I'm glad you're back," Rhosyn added. "How are you doing?"

"Quite well," Katherine replied, "although it took lots of convincing. My father is growing more and more nervous about the Selection…"

"At least Cecilia isn't here today?" Rho pointed out.

"She isn't," Kath nodded, "but she nearly was. My father pulled an old contact and insisted on it."

"An old contact?"

"The King used to serve in the air force ages ago, and they were friends back then," Kath explained. "He called him."

"Ah," Tilly nodded. "How are you feeling about this?"

"You mean the rumours that the Elite is being announced today?" Kath asked. "I'm not sure? I mean, lots of things point to "I'm not in", but then again, why did they pay for my flight here then?"

"That's…" Rhosyn paused. "An interesting point of view that actually makes sense."

"I mean… They're royals though?" Tilly reminded them.

Kath shook her head. "The Selection is 100% tax-paid. The royal family owns heaps of land privately that adds to what the own, but they didn't spend a cent on the Selection."

"I mean, Michael doesn't seem to like Greene a lot, so maybe it's to annoy him?"

"I doubt he has that much say in this," Kath replied. "Also, is it just me or have the King and Greene become best friends by now?"

Rho shrugged. "I'm not sure, sorry."

The girls chatted about what Kath did at home, her family and what had happened in between to them, but were soon interrupted by Michael joining them. Sam was nowhere to be seen. Greene probably didn't want him around, Tilly thought.

"Hey!" The Crown Prince said. "Did you have a nice flight?"

Kath nodded. "Yeah, I had." She paused. "Question—is it true that the Elite is being announced today?" He wasn't going to answer this, was he? Where was the tension? Tilly looked at the prince, curious.

"Yeah," Michael nodded, lowering his voice. "Obviously. You all are in, by the way."

Tilly began to smile. "Thank you!" She beamed. "I already was nervous…"

"But why me…? After all that stuff going on?" Kath asked suspicious.

"I guess that Cecilia stressed you a lot," Michael replied calm. "Also, I want a reason to go to Dominica. I haven't been there in forever."

"… Alright?" Kath didn't seem too sure if she believed him.

"You… you'll see, I guess." Michael laughed nervously.

* . * . *

Emilia took a deep breath. Standing the whole time was almost as exhausting as walking. She tried to sit down in an elegant way, but it probably looked like Rihanna face planting her the sofa after an exhausting day at work. Retail, huh?

"This is already boring," Rihanna muttered next to her. She had chosen the long grey tulle gown Emilia had worn on her father's last birthday, she realised. Why exactly Rihanna had chosen grey, she didn't understand.

"Brighter colours fit you better," she whispered.

"I know," Rihanna nodded. "Should have taken your dress."

She wasn't wrong—the bold dress the princess was wearing probably would have fit her more. What exactly had driven her to choose this one, Emilia didn't know either. At least the diadem fitted. Honestly, she looked like a tomato.

"I'm just planning to steal the spotlight," Emilia joked. She would mind 'the spotlight' right now very much. She hoped that no one would notice them, and that she could spend the evening sitting around and doing nothing. It was embarrassing that she could barely walk.

"Look, Dr Reynolds is here. Who invited him?"

"Probably the event planners. As a thank you, or so," Emilia muttered. She didn't mind the doctor very much, but Rihanna had told her about Rhosyn and her studies. Not exactly her preferred type of people.

"Logically, you should probably go and thank them," Rihanna pointed out.

Emilia sighed. "I would prefer not to."

"You'll get better," Rihanna insisted.

Emilia shook hr head. "No, it'll never get perfect again. You know that."

"Just trying to be positive…?"

Emilia sighed, took a deep breath and clumsily rose. "Come, let's go and talk to them," she said, pulling Rihanna with her (or so—it was more than Rihanna acted as human crutch). She smiled at Jason and Isadora when they joined them, making sure to keep standing tall.

"Good evening," Emilia smiled. "I hope you don't mind us joining you."

"Oh, not at all, your highness!" Dr Reynolds immediately insisted. "I am glad to see you. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Emilia lied. She was walking without crutches now, yes, but she'd probably always have balance problems. She wasn't a big fan of that aspect. "Thank you very much. You two?"

"…I'm good," Jason politely responded after hesitating briefly.

"Same," Isadora—sounding much more casual—added. "Hey, question. Michael mentioned, ages ago, that these charm bracelets come from you, or so?"

Emilia smiled. 'They don't come from me per se, but I own many. I like them a lot," she replied. "I'm not wearing one right now, but if you look at my in daily life, you'll find that I'm almost always wearing one. Mostly my favourite which—"

Rihanna rose her arm. "This one here." She showed them a charm bracelet. "We got them for our trip around the world, and we got one charm for each destination. This one," she pointed to the Eiffel tower, "is from Paris, for example. Then this one," she pointed to a gate, "is from Germany. The flower here is a cherry blossom flower, and we got it from Japan." The flower was next to an anime-styled girl, evidently also from Japan. "But yeah, Mike stole the idea from it."

"That's sweet though, I guess," Isadora said with a shrug.

* . * . *

Eventually, Silvestre finally told him that it was time. Ten girls, he knew, and once again, he had chosen charms—this time with Emmy tagging along though. He had looked back at what the girls had gotten before, and come to the realisation that he had run out of obvious ideas.

"Now, it's my time to speak—apparently. Lots of stuff happened recently, but I'm not going to repeat what you already know. Today, I am to announce the Elite. The girls who have been eliminated already know that—we've had our conversations, and it's time to go on with the final ten."

The first name on his list was Isadora. The first charm she had gotten had been a rose, referencing her dress during the Halloween ball, then a wine glass and now, Emilia had insisted on something red. He had no idea what that could be, but Emilia had turned out rather helpful. A heart with a bird and the caption 'happiness', because Isadora _had_ found love and happiness.

"The first is Isadora."

Procedure go and finish. Another girl who wasn't in Rihanna's friend group followed. The next was Africa. A fairy for Halloween, and then a charm with lipstick and high heels referencing the fact that Rihanna wanted her to stay as her stylist, for some reason. This time, he had had a better idea. The continent Africa with her name on it.

"Then there's Africa Oaks."

Once again, he handed over the charm, and went on to the next two girls, also not in Rihanna's friend group, followed by Tilly. Tilly started out with a snowflake, and then had been given a little dog. For Tilly, Emilia hadn't been so sure, but Mike had been. A sun, referencing how much she loved Angeles now.

"Tilly," he smiled.

Tatiana was next. He had first given her the charm with a tree-shape in it, and then a camera. A reference to her green dress and earth theme, and her job as a photographer. He hadn't been very sure about Tate either, and so had Emilia, but Sam and Rho had given them the ultimative idea—a dragon, for some reason he didn't understand.

"Tatiana Loveren."

Next up was Rihanna, and he had handed out that one completely to Emilia, in order to avoid the awkwardness of the proposal he had been given, but not yet accepted or not accepted. A wolf, a best friends puzzle piece that now had even ore meaning and now, Emilia had chosen a globe with a little sun. She was Emmy's sun, and Mike was fine with that.

"Rihanna Lorde."

Next up was Rho. She first had been given a charm with the wave pattern, referencing her ocean theme, and then the doctor tool thing of which he forgot the name. She was another one of his friend-in-the-Selection Selected. For her, Emmy and he had chosen a charm saying 'Thank you'.

"Rhosyn Reynolds."

And finally, there was Kath. At first, she had been given a Ravenclaw charm, and then an airplane. This time, Michael had decided to go basic. A smiley, because he thought that with the threat of past memories looming all over the Selection for Kath, she definitely deserved something happy.

"Katherine Rhodes," he finished. He took a deep breath, looking for the pair of eyes that had helped him with these names. He found the smile, he was looking for in the distance, and repeated it.

* . * . *

As conversations went on and no one started to cry or anything (Michael had, evidently, warned the girls beforehand again), Africa (with Tate following), headed towards Michael, who was with his sister and her best friend.

"Hey, Michael? Can we talk for a moment?" Africa spoke.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Did I tell you about the movie offer I got?"

"Not really, but Rihanna did," he replied. "I doubt I can help you with acting though."

"Yeah, so do I." Africa nodded. "But, I want to take it, and I suppose it'd be better if I just leave now, then. I mean, you apparently know that I came here to get some exposure to demographics I didn't have before, and I feel like I've done that by now. I want to take the offer and leave."

Michael nodded. He didn't seem very affected, Africa thought, which was probably understandable. They weren't close in that kind a way. "Sure. If it's that what you want," he said, "but I want to be invited to the premiere."

Africa laughed. "I think I might be able to arrange that," she replied with a smile. "So, are you going to put someone else in the Elite then?"

Michael shook his head. "No, not really. The others would have been out either way," he explained. "No need to give them false hopes or anything."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Tate's charm being a dragon is a reference to her being asexual which never really became one of the things I picked up for the plot.**

 **Now, the first main girl is officially out—Africa. Fry and I had some initial difficulties, but I've really grown attached her by now. It's going to be weird to finish the story without her. ^ _ ^ Her character is quite interesting, and when I had been given her form, I soon saw her and Tate as people who'd grow close, just like their parents. In the story, Africa's father had the same disorder that Tate has, which wasn't original, but from what I was given, it really fitted.**


	50. Youngblood

**50**

 **Youngblood**

Katherine leaned into her seat. They had just arrived on Honduras. She liked the southern province—it reminded her of her home. She was sitting around with Rihanna (chatting), Tatiana (also chatting) and herself, also chatting. They were being _very_ social.

She wasn't sure whenever it were the Reynolds or Michael inviting the girls to the Reynolds' home. It sounded like something the Reynolds would do, but they were doctors. Going by what she knew from Isadora's comments on Jason, that was a very busy job. Either way, only a few days after the Elite had been announced, they boarded the plane again.

"Isadora is with Jason, and Rho is with her mother, aren't they?" Rihanna muttered.

Kath nodded. "That's what they said, at least."

"Where's Tilly?" Rihanna asked, not looking up from her phone. She was still typing.

"I think she went out with Michael?" Kath shrugged.

She didn't know of Rho's predictions of who was the crown prince's favourites, but if she was asked, she would agree with half of it. He got along best with Tilly for sure, and Kath was happy to know that she didn't care. It pushed her back to the question why she was still here (Africa had left, and that reminded all of them on the reason why they were here, theoretically), but right now, she was far from the mood to discuss that. When they'd go to Dominica, their next destination, maybe. Michael was terribly insisted on wanting to go there.

"They're coming back," Tate pointed out, while looking out of the window. "With Rho and her mother, and Jason and Isadora. Do we want to join them?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Kath agreed, rising.

Joining them was quite easy—they were coming to them into the lounge. Jason and Isadora probably had been talking, but with the camera crews around, they had to be careful. How long would it take before Michael would eliminate Isadora, and they could officially date? Three of the nine members of the Elite were friends, and she knew that she herself wasn't going to stay forever too.

Probably that was why he was around Tilly so much. Her crush was rather obvious.

"I like Honduras," Isadora remarked. "It's pretty here."

To think that hundreds of years ago, Honduras belonged to the poorer districts in Illéa and that the Southern Rebels came from here… The province probably still was behind the central provinces, but the situation had improved.

"Same," Kath nodded. "It's warm here too."

"It's warm in Angeles too," Tilly pointed out. "But it's nice here too."

Thinking of it, it was probably because of their occupation as doctors that the Reynolds were so strongly established here. The profession probably was respected much more here than it was in other provinces. Kath could, however, also understand why they were still struggling to find feet in the real elite of Illéa. There was still a huge difference between being a doctor, and a real estate mogul like her mother.

"Where do you work?" she asked Rho's mother, Carianne Reynolds.

"The local hospital, most of the time," Carianne replied. "but I've travelled elsewhere to help people."

"That's nice."

* . * . *

Kath didn't notice that Rho didn't stay inside. She had other things in her mind, and accidentally did exactly what Rhosyn needed: someone to distract her mother. With her father still at work, she was the only issue.

Rhosyn didn't essentially 'sneak out'—when she left the lounge and her mother behind, she rushed outside, down the stairs and only stopped when she reached the small, old playground of the suburb of her home town. Not very far away, but out of her mother's immediate reach.

"Rho!" The sweet voice of Gia Ivans, sitting on a bench, called her, and gained her attention.

Gia, Rho's other brother's girlfriend, was sitting on the bench with Ken, Rho's other brother. Gia was visibly pregnant. Rho wasn't an expert on pregnancies, but she could see that Gia had to be in her final weeks of the pregnancy.

"Gia! Ken!" Rho beamed and rushed over the san of the playground to join them. "How are you two?"

"I'm good," Gia chuckled. "Although, a bit slow with moving around."

Rho hugged her brother happily, and Gia a bit more gently. Jason had told them about the Selected's visit to Honduras a while ago, and it fortunately happened to be around the time of the two's planned visit. Ken wanted to set things straight with their parents, but going by what Jason had told her before, it hadn't been good. She didn't know Gia well at all, but from what Ken had told Jason, she was a sweet woman. Plus, she knew that once they had sorted out their child, Ken intended to propose to her, so to Rho, she already was family.

"How did it go?" Rho asked either way.

Ken sighed. "Not very well. Mum practically threw me out of the house. I'm glad that I didn't take Gia. She basically refused to talk to me."

Rho bit on her lip. "I could try? Mum needs to be in good graces with me now."

"I don't want to pull you into this, Rho," Gia insisted. "We'll figure out the money situation _somehow_."

"I can't let you just leave alone." Rho sighed. "That would be unfair."

Gia shook her head. "What would you do? Tell mum the same thing as Ken did? They have been more worried about their reputation than their family since Ken left."

"Since before that," Ken muttered.

"… We could try at least," Rho thought aloud. "I mean, something had to be done. I'm not going to let you three alone."

"She'll just send us away again." Ken shook his head. "It's useless."

"We'll see that. She can't send a pregnant woman away, who's come to see the family of her child, can she? Not in front of cameras. I could text the other girls and ask them to push the Selection team to film it. We'll find a way—I promise."

Gia turned to her boyfriend. "We should try, Ken," she said. "Besides, I'm not feeling that well either, and I'd rather feel unwell in a house of doctors who don't want to help me than in the old motel we're staying at."

"Think of the Hippocratic Oath. They won't hurt her," Rho added. "Why don't you feel unwell?"

Gia chuckled. "I'm pregnant, Rho. I'm just feeling a bit… I guess like period cramps. It's fine. Don't worry about it—I just want to get this done."

"When is the baby due?" Rho asked as they started heading back to the Reynolds' home.

"In three to four weeks, going by the doctor," Gia replied. "I think, at least."

The three headed back home, Rho doing exactly as she had said before. Make Rihanna tell them that her brother and his girlfriend were coming, but not mention that there were tensions between them. Rho introduce Ken and Gia to the cameras who were about to finish for the day either way.

"Where's my mum?" Rho asked Jason as the cameras chatted with Gia and Ken.

"She just went to get a children photo book," he replied. "I tried to stop her, but failed, sorry," he added before going to hug his younger brother. They hadn't seen each other in a while either, Rho realized.

"I'll be right back," Gia excused herself from the cameras who were happy to finish for the day. "Ken? Where's the toilet?"

"It's that way," Rho pointed to the correct door. Ken was still with Jason, and they deserved to catch up. Jason had only arrived with them after all.

"Thank you," Gia replied, heading to the toilet.

"Didn't you say that your mother doesn't like him anymore?" Michael stepped by her side.

"She doesn't," Rho replied. "But they need my parents' help. Gia and Ken can't afford the money they need to care for the child—well, the probably just could, but Ken would need to get a job, and can't do what he'd like to do, music."

"And your parents don't want to help them?" Michael looked around. "This isn't the palace, but they have to have enough money!"

"They do," Rho replied. "They just refuse to acknowledge that he exists after he turned to music."

"That's mean," the crown prince muttered.

"I know," Rho nodded. She sighed, but watched her brothers talk, the camera team ending work for the day and leaving. Ken introduced himself to Isadora too (he had gotten the note about them earlier, Rho presumed).

"Huh? What's happening here? Why the commotion?" Carianne gained most of the visitor's attention. She was standing on the stairs with an old photo album (the one from which she had removed Ken's photos, Rho realized).

"We have… guests." Rho spoke up. This _had_ been her idea after all. She should be able to defend it.

"Yes, of course we do, the—" Carianne broke off. Her expression turned from surprise to disappointment. "I thought we discussed this," she hissed at Ken.

"Gia is pregnant, mum!" Rho insisted. "They need help, and last time I checked, we can help them."

Carianne's expression hardened. "Rhosyn, you do not understand. Kenneth—"

"This… mum…" Jason looked between his brother, his mother and his sister. "It's not about Ken, mum. It's about your grandchild!"

"Well, that young man there certainly lost the right to call himself my son," Carianne spat. "Then that child of that whore is not my grandchild."

"She's not a whore!" Ken called out. "Gia's the most intelligent, beautiful woman I have ever met. She's amazing."

"I could not care less."

Silence fell on the room. Awkwardly, Michael seemed to look at the other girls. They probably felt like they shouldn't be there, Rho thought. That was right—they didn't need to be involved into her parents' stupidity. Michael looked at Carianne—was he contemplating to interrupt? Rho shook her head, signalising that he shouldn't. This was Reynolds business.

The silence was interrupted by a groan or scream—Gia.

"Gia? Are you alright?" Ken called out, genuinely worried. "Honey?" He didn't give her time to answer, but rushed to the bathroom instead.

"I think my water broke." Rho could hear her in the distance.

"… Are you kidding me?" Carianne seemed to say, but Rho was already moving. If that was the case, then Gia needed help.

"Call an ambulance," someone—Tilly, right, she was a nurse—insisted.

"Wait, what?!" That was Rihanna. Tilly probably had pointed at her, or so. "What? How?"

"With your phone," Katherine sighed. "I'll do it." Rho could hear the phone in the background. Good. This wasn't essentially an emergency, but Gia needed to go to the hospital if that was the case.

"Not. In. My. House," Carianne insisted.

"Are you kidding me, mum?" Jason called out. "She's about to give birth! You're a doctor! Do you really think she can wait until she's out of the house? She won't. You all, go out of the room," he ordered. "Except Kath until she's done with calling the ambulance."

Tatiana prove to be the best help in getting everyone out of the room (Rihanna seemed to be panicking more than Ken and Gia combined), and also managed to get Carianne out of the room, leaving the doctor, the medicine student and the nurse to help Gia until the paramedics would arrive. Going by how Rho knew her home that would probably be after the baby was born.

* . * . *

"Three, me, Rihanna… There's Kath… Rho and Tilly are with Gia… Isa… Ken… Then there's Rho's mum and Michael. Good." Tatiana nodded. "Anyone left in the hallway?"

Kath shook her head. "No, we're all."

Tatiana nodded grateful. This was good to know. Gia probably didn't need everyone swarming around her. She sat down on one of the sofas in the lounge, watching Carianne boiling with anger. She was a doctor, wasn't she? How could she act like that?

"Mom, are you serious?" Ken, now a bit calmer, asked. He looked shattered, Tate thought. "You're a doctor, Jason was right. How could you say "Not in my house"?!"

" _You_ , Kenneth, do not understand that," Carianne barked. "You have no idea of medicine!"

"Of course I don't, but I never thought… you could tell… what?"

"You're a shame to the family, Kenneth," Carianne accused.

"You were about to—what?" Tate rose. "Sorry, but what?"

Ken shook his head, circling around on the carpet. "No… It's… It's useless. She won't listen… I just got to figure out…"

"Rho mentioned that you need money to pay for stuff with the child," Michael pointed out. He leaned against the door.

Ken nodded. "Yes. Exactly."

"Hi." Michael almost laughed. "I dare to say I can help you."

Isadora, next to Tate, nodded. "Same. I'm sure my mother would love to help the poor brother my friend, if she can make some press fuss."

"… Really?" Ken asked in disbelief.

The Crown Prince nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure that if I asked Emmy, she'd come up with ideas how to ask others for help too. Or Gofundme, which'd be my second choice if I wasn't a prince, you know. I do have some money." He laughed.

"That… that… that would be amazing," Ken replied.

"But?" Isadora rose her eyebrows.

"We probably couldn't pay it back anytime soon."

Michael shrugged. "I'm sure we can write it off taxes a charity donation. Emmy knows her way around with that. Same for Isa."

While Ken repetitively thanked Isadora and Michael, Tatiana's eyes wandered back to Carianne who eyes Isadora and Michael. She got what she wanted, huh? Or was it because Isadora's mother would, by making a press fuss about it, hurt their reputation? Probably the latter.

"… Alright," she pressed out. Definitely the latter. "I still do not want to see you two again though."

"This is ridiculous," Kath muttered next to her, looking through the window. She was waiting for the ambulance, Tate guessed.

"I agree," Tate nodded. "It's terrible."

"It happens," Isadora shrugged. "My mum is just as bad as yours, I feel you," she told Ken. "If you want to form an 'Our mums and dads are terrible club', I'm in."

"My mum too," Tate muttered.

"Then you're in too," Isadora mocked. "Anyone else? Jason and Rho are in, apparently."

"Guys," Kath spoke up.

"Since when are your parents bad? Weren't they just overprotective?" Isadora mocked.

"They—they aren't bad," Kath insisted. "But, what I mean is, the ambulance is here. I'll go and show them the way in. You… just don't stand in the way, I guess?"

"Well… If you asked my brother, then I am in the way," Isadora laughed.

"Same with my sister," Tatiana added, rolling her eyes.

"Are we forming a 'terrible siblings club' too?" Isadora laughed.

* . * . *

In front of the Honduras hospital which Rho left in the afternoon after checking onto Gia and the newborn child, she found Michael waiting with the car that had gotten her here.

"I didn't know you can drive," Rho pointed out.

"I didn't drive here," Michael laughed. "I'm also not the best driver," he added. "How are they?"

"Good." Rho nodded. "Thanks again."

"No worries. The media might think I'm a jerk, but they don't get to see me."

Rhosyn chuckled. "I agree," she said.

"Your family definitely needs a reality check though. What your mother did is unbelievable."

"Let's not pull the press fuss Isadora mentioned into this though. I wouldn't want to have the three get through that."

"Sure? They definitely deserve it."

Rho nodded. "I'm sure."

"Where are they going after today?" Michael wondered. "Jason mentioned that they don't live here?"

"Gia used to work in Calgary, but she lost her job after budget cuts or something like that… Not that she can work now either way. We were talking about them coming to Angeles. I could come and help her from time to time when I go back studying, and Jason's apartment is large enough to include them. Katerina wanted heaps of space, apparently," Rho explained.

"So they're coming back with us? I don't know how long she'll be in hospital, but it's not like we'd need to buy more seats." Private planes, of course.

"I'll ask them," Rho nodded. "That's be cool, actually."

"Which reminds me," Michael began, "I think you should leave. The Selection, I mean. I still have Isa and Rihanna, and your brother needs you more. If your parents keep bugging you, we can just go back and remind her that she wanted a woman giving birth out of her room rather than helping. As doctor."

Rho found herself nodding. "I know. I'm not really doing anything but wasting space either way, am I?"

"I wouldn't say _that_." Michael laughed. "But you've got a student flat in Angeles, don't you? You're free to come and hang out. So are your brothers. Just keep the child away from Rihanna—she doesn't like loud kids." He laughed, and Rho joined.

"Yeah, I'll try. I am making no promises though."

* . * . *

The article of The Angeles Sun that ended up being published after Rhosyn left the Selection officially made her smile either way.

"Last Monday, the palace announced that Rhosyn Reynolds, the Selected from Honduras, left the Selection on good terms with Michael Schreave, following the birth of her nice, Elodie Reynolds. Michael Schreave later on gave a comment to the press, stating "Rhosyn is a very good friend of mine, but I know that she belongs back to uni, to study to be the fantastic doctor, she will be one day. I am glad to know her, and her brother and his family, though, and happy to consider them to be friends". Reynolds is moving back to Angeles to resume her studies."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **A big thanks to Headless Gummy Bear for being my medical help here. :)**

 **Rhosyn thus is the second character to officially be out of the Selection. The most useful part about Rho is probably Jason, but hey, I still love her. Rho is a sweet person, but I agree with Mike, she should be a doctor and actually help people.**

 **Next Chapter: The Middle**


	51. The Middle

**51**

 **The Middle**

"Knock, knock."

The door was open (it usually was), but Kath had been reading a book. She hadn't seen Michael come and lean into the door, even though she had asked him to come and talk beforehand. It was evening, and most of the girls, Michael, Sam and Emilia had gone to the beach. Kath had too, but that was a while ago. Michael's hair still was wet.

"The door's open," Kath replied, and placed the bookmark between the pages of her book.

Michael advanced through the doorframe into Kath's room, eyeing the mix of Harry Potter merchandise and things related to engineering and planes. "So…" he said while looking around. "What did you want? You sounded very ominous on the beach today."

"I'm sorry for that," Kath replied. "Are you happy now? You're on Dominica now," she added.

"Yes, thank you," Michael laughed. "Your family's nice though."

"You haven't met all," Kath remarked. "Jackson and Aubrey don't live here, and Everett is in the Air Force. You only met Henry, and he invited everyone to go clubbing with him, and he flirted with Isa."

"Isa's practically only on her phone and talking to Jason though, unless he's working."

"I mean, if they get along so well…" Isadora trailed off. "Let them be?"

Michael nodded. "They're good for each other. I'm glad that Rho didn't have issues with leaving the Selection though."

"Rho and her brothers do have something hard against them."

"It's just their word," Kath noted.

"Alongside ten witnesses that have been in the media for quite a while by now. It's thirteen versus their mother."

Kath nodded. "That's true."

"You have lots of Harry Potter stuff," Michael pointed out.

"You didn't catch that after my Halloween Ball dress was themed 'Ravenclaw', and I made my family do the same?" She rose an eyebrow.

"… Right."

"We need to talk," Kath added. They had to start the topic either way, so, why bother with talking around the topic? She pulled her legs closer, and took a deep breath.

"Again… huh?" He trailed off into the thought he had. Probably remembering the same time she had said that before.

"I'm going to be honest," Kath began. "We don't work. Friends, sure, but nothing more. Do you agree?"

"… Yeah." Michael nodded. "I see where you're going."

Kath nodded, but kept silent for the next moment. He didn't seem worried (but he would go down to six…?) or angry, so what was he thinking? Did he agree and only keep her in for politeness after Cecilia or because she got along with Rihanna and her friends?

"You want to leave… Well, leave in quotation marks. Stay here. Whatever. You get what I mean."

"Exactly," she said.

"Well, sure. I'll text Silvestre later."

"Thanks," Kath ended.

Kath had told her family beforehand that she'd leave the Selection, so to them, at the dinner shared between the girls, the two royals and the Rhodes family, it was no surprise that Kath asked to give her a moment to say something.

"I am leaving the Selection," she said, giving a brief pause. Michael nodded. "It was an interesting perspective and experience for sure, but Michael and I agree—we'd probably never work, especially not under these circumstances. I'm incredibly glad to have met everyone, and to have done it, let alone because I made great friends, but I want to go back into the life I always wanted. Thanks for having me join you all, but this time, I'm staying home."

* . * . *

Rihanna sighed.

Dominica was nice and all, and it was sweet that Emmy joined them for this trip (she had dodged Honduras and Sota last week), but this was also annoying her. They were down to seven now that the representatives of Honduras and Sota both left, and by now, she and Emilia had turned their plan into an elaborate idea on how they could end up together.

Right now, they were still sitting together, watching the sunset at the beach. Most girls, except Tatiana, the two and Tilly had headed towards their hotel already. Emilia leaned into Rihanna, dozing, while Tate and Tilly were playing with a water ball nearby the water line.

"You know," she muttered quiet enough so that only Emmy could hear her. The princess looked up. "We need to talk to Mike."

Now, Emilia sighed. "I don't know… I don't want to force him into anything. He's still my brother, you know. As much as I'd like it… maybe there _is_ someone?"

"What do you mean?" Rihanna asked.

"He's been far to calm about the eliminations. He had no issue with letting the girls go, and he is down to seven now. Kath seems to be intending to stay too, so he'll be around six. Something is up."

"That, or he plans to expose Greene. Besides, Tilly could you see anyone genuinely dating him for more than a one night stand?" Not really, no.

"You know Mike. He'd dodge press attention for anything," Emilia reminded her.

"He never was happy about the Selection though."

"How would he expose Greene? He'd also tell the world that dad, Silvestre and everyone played along. Everyone who knew, it is. Maybe cause worries about danger from the terrorists, and the trade stuff?"

"…As if people would think that far."

Emilia chuckled. "What do you suggest?"

"I dunno. I'll try, and see what comes."

"That's not a good idea," Emilia warned.

"Nah, we'll be fine." Rihanna waved it off.

After Kath explained that she was leaving (or staying, details) to everyone at dinner, Rihanna took Michael wordless, pulling him into the corridor. She ignored Emilia's worried glance—she looked like Rihanna was going to take him to rob a bank!—and ignored Michael's confused "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk," Rihanna insisted.

"… Do you want to leave too? That's what Kath said to me when she left," Michael muttered.

"No." Rihanna shook her head. "I want to know an answer. On our proposal. Now."

Michael mustered Rihanna. "Well… that's sudden."

"Why is Isadora still in, if she's essentially dating Jason? She's just holding you away from the final. Then there's Tate, me, Sonage's Rosa and Abby from Lakedon. You barely even know the last two's names. Are you secretly dating Tate or Tilly, or why are you keeping this up, Mike?"

"I…" Michael stocked. "The person I would chose, father wouldn't like to accept. Probably not at all. Greene wouldn't either, or anyone."

"So… you won't chose them?"

"I'm looking for a loophole… We need to discuss this, because I want to keep _my_ One around. I _know_ that unless dad dies anytime soon, we won't be able to be a thing."

"Unless your dad dies…? How would that affect things?" Rihanna wondered. "That doesn't make sense. There's still Greene, and—"

"If dad dies, I'll abdicate."

"… What?" Rihanna rose an eyebrow. "Really? But you've been the crown prince your whole life!"

Michael nodded. "Yeah, and I'm done with it. Emmy and I… we talked about that when she first woke up. This all reminded me of the fact that my life's… yeah. She's in. She'd be happier either way—she deserves the recognition of being the Queen. The people and press like her more too, and she's just better at this. Nothing's going to change my mind."

Rihanna tilted her head as she ran the scenario through her head. "… Really?"

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "I mean… as mean as it sounds, I used to hope that dad with his drinking, smoking and all… do you know that when Maxon Schreave married America Singer, genes came into our family that increased the likelihood of getting a heart attack? My grandfather died of one, and so did others. I was naively hoping… I don't want him to die, but I don't want to do this."

"Why not say that now?" Rihanna wondered. "Why not… end it now?"

"You know Greene," Michael almost laughed at the idea, "he's misogynist. Emmy supports feminists. Do you really think he'd not try to… I don't know. Change the constitution and make the line of succession male-only again?" He shook his head. "Plus, I touched the topic with dad _and_ mum a while ago. Even when mum agreed with my views, _she_ spoke against it! There's no way I can get out of this."

"How would that change if your father were to die?"

"… The protocol that is enacted if father dies. I am to announce it live. I've got what I actually will say written down. I know it by heart. Emilia is fine with it, and if I say it live, then who'll stop me?"

"Cut the broadcast?" Rihanna suggested.

Michael shook his head. "We've got that planned out. Everything."

"Does my mum know?"

"No, not yet. I'd tell her before, but phrase it as if it was decided. That'd give me more time for my part too, because she'd think that it is planned and meant to be."

"… Okay." Rihanna nodded. "… Okay," she repeated, and took a deep breath. "Thanks for the information dump?"

"I thought she already told you," Michael pointed out. "Sorry."

"No worries. I guess we were too busy planning how to work…"

"… I think… I might actually have an idea. For that, I need Emmy to do something…. And…" He stopped. "Damn. Why didn't I think of this before?"

"Of what?"

"I… I need to talk to someone. Now. I'll come back to you later."

Michael rushed off just as fast as she had pulled him into the corridor, leaving her confused. While Rihanna did check the story with Emilia (and found that it was true—Emmy had just been worried about other things to tell her), she had no idea what Michael meant.

Only near midnight when they were sitting in Emilia's room and watching a TV show together, they understood what Michael had done.

"We need to talk," he said as he opened the door to their room.

"What's up?" Emilia asked curious.

"I'm in, but with one thing—I need you to do something too."

* . * . *

In the next morning, Michael was far from awake. Initially, Silvestre questioned whenever he (and maybe someone else?) had sneaked out to go partying, but it wasn't the hangover that made him sleepy but the sole lack of sleep—time spent into planning.

The group wouldn't head back until the evening, but Michael pushed the essential things he had to do aside in favour of the beach. He needed to talk to some people, and then to Silvestre. Someone had to explain her the plan, and Rihanna had talked him into doing that.

So, when they reached Angeles, he spoke to the girls he still referred to as Sonage and Lakedon, to assure himself that they weren't anyhow possibilities. He wasn't going to throw them out yet—Greene had made his dislike about the tempo of the Selection known after Rho left—but did it to be sure.

There was just one better outcome to him, no matter what he thought, and that one was impossible. He knew that, and there was no denying to it. His happy end was going to be much, much more difficult.

He told Isadora and Jason together.

"Which is why the rest of the Selection will probably be staged completely. I don't know how long Greene wants to span, but it's not going to be forever." He didn't reveal all details, or who would 'win', but that the end was at the horizon. Jason congratulated. Little did he know.

"That's good for you," Isadora told him. "When am I out?"

"I don't know yet," Michael replied. "But I'm pending to say last, because you have a reason to stay here. But yeah, start making plans for afterwards."

Isadora sighed. "Alright, I'll figure out something."

"I mean, if you don't want to go home and need a place to stay, I know people in down, and you got a boyfriend," Michael reminded her. "I'm sure it'll work out."

They agreed, and the crown prince once again reassured them that he, alongside his sister, were on their side if they ever needed help. Asking them to say hi to Rho, he left them alone to finish his list of girls he would need to talk to.

The second to last one he'd need to talk to was Tatiana. Her case was similar to Sonage and Lakedon—except that he knew her name which probably was one big bonus and help. He knocked at her door in the palace, asking if he could come in.

When he did come it, she quickly ended a video call with Africa who was preparing for her movie with her mother (and Tate's father who also seemed to be around).

"I… what do you think right now?" Michael asked her, sitting down.

"My dad just mentioned that Jennifer, my sister, wants to stay in Angeles with my mother the whole time," Tatiana told him. "I couldn't say that I am not happy, but…"

"But?"

"I decided."

"Decided what?" Michael asked, confused.

"Which film school I want to go to. I want to stay in Angeles. I'll need good excuses to dodge her."

"I'm probably not going to disappear, so feel free to say that you're invited here or so," Michael laughed. "But why the decision when the Selection is still going on, if I may ask?"

"I'm not stupid," Tatiana replied with a smile. "I'm not going to win, and I'm good with that. My guess is on Tilly, but who knows. It's just a question until I'm leaving. Probably when we're visiting my home, I suppose?" She laughed. That hadn't been decided yet, because of other engagements needed the royals, but it was planned to happen. She pointed to a few pieces of paper on her table. "I'm working on my applicsation right now."

"I'd say, you're free to leave now too," Michael admitted, "but Greene would probably kill me."

"That doesn't sound fun," Tate noted. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to be out by the time I start film school."

"I think I can arrange that," Michael agreed. He paused for a moment, considering to tell her that the winner of the Selection had been chosen. "I mean, the Selection is essentially decided by now, so it'll just be an act either way. Don't tell the others though—only Isa and Rihanna know."

Tate rose an eyebrow. "Who'll win?"

"I'm not going to spoiler," Michael laughed. More to avoid the press learning of it than to keep the surprise though. "I'm not going to bother you any longer though. See you later."

The last girl he'd need to talk to was Tilly, and she was going to be difficult. Explaining his plan to her, well, when he left Tatiana's room, he decided to do it later. Rather than doing that, he headed towards Silvestre's office. Earlier, he had asked his father and Silvestre to come by—Rihanna would join too, and they would tell his father a slightly changed version of the plan. One where Rihanna and Emilia weren't dating, but they just needed a way out of the Selection, and Rihanna 'volunteered' as tribute.

"You're early," Rihanna pointed out when he reached her office.

"I might be dodging Tilly."

"Don't you want to explain this to her? You did to all, didn't you?"

Michael shook his head. "Only Tate and Isa, and Tate only because she's half-out either way."

"What do you mean?" Rihanna asked.

"Tate is applying for film school right now, so in whatever thing we're staging, she'll probably be the next one out. We should have gotten Greene to join us. Maybe he's a better playwright than politician."

Rihanna laughed. "Sounds like a good idea, shall I text him?"

Michael rose an eyebrow. "You have his number?"

"… That was irony, duh."

"I guessed."

They continued joking around and talking (apparently, Rihanna and Emilia had been shopping, and apparently, that meant that Michael had to listen to every bit of what they did), until Silvestre and Richard (finally—it felt like forever) arrived.

"What so important thing needed us to come now?" Richard asked unhappy. He didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

"Maybe—are you alright?" Michael asked his father.

"Just not feeling very well," the King muttered.

"Let's talk in mum's office," Rihanna suggested.

They did agree and enter the office, sitting down. Rihanna and Michael, alongside Emilia, had discussed the plan. One important person in the plan wasn't very up to date ("I might found a way to get around dad and all, but I need you to do something" was the only information Michael's lover had gotten), but that Michael would do later.

"So… we all know that Greene can't drag the Selection forever," Michael began. "And I know that the only choices he, among others would accept aren't choices I'd take." He paused, hoping that this didn't sound too offensive. "So, Rihanna and I were discussing this before and…"

Silvestre rose an eyebrow. She knew about Rihanna and Emilia, so was she thinking of that?

"She knows how the work goes—she's been around Emmy and me forever. It's a legit story people would buy, and… dad? Are you alright?" Michael looked to the King.

"Go on, son. Just don't take forever."

"Well, Rihanna would be fine with playing winner—and we'd find some wait out of this later when the stuff has died down. Essentially, what I'm saying—plan the end and tell Greene—"

"No." Silvestre insisted.

"Mum," Rihanna groaned. "It's not like we're dating. Besides, Mike isn't _that_ bad. You know him!"

"That's not what I am saying!"

"Well, what's the problem them?" Rihanna asked with a hint of panic in her voice. Michael agreed with that.

"I don't see it either?" he added worried. This had to work—it was their only way out.

"No!"

"Mum, give a point," Rihanna insisted now, "or end it. I'm nineteen!"

"No, you… you… no." She insisted.

"No is not really a reason, you know…?" Michael pointed out.

"I… I have to a… agree with them, Silvestre," Richard noted. "They do have a point, and this is a way for this to end without scandals or anything."

"Yes… no… but…" Silvestre shook her head. "Just don't."

"Still… not a valid reasoning?" Michael said. "I mean, what do you mean?"

"You…" Silvestre rose. "No. I'm vetoing."

"You don't have a veto…?" Michael pointed out.

"I do, because you're half-siblings. That's just—no!"

Silence. A very valid silence, filled with confusion. "… What?" Michael frowned. "We're not?"

"You…" Silvestre sighed. "You are."

"How…" Michael turned to his father. "Any comment?"

Richard shook his head. "Silvestre, end this nonsense. Now."

"It's…" She sat down. "It's true."

"…. _Wait_." Rihanna leaned forward. "Who are my parents? You always said that you don't know, that I was found. Be honest, _mum_."

"… I don't know who exactly your father is," Silvestre admitted. "I never figured it out… She never told me."

"She? My biological mother?" Rihanna asked.

"Yes. Charlotte."

Next to Michael, his father moved abruptly. The surprise that made Michael froze, he thought first, but he was gasping for air.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Michael asked, half-standing already.

He wasn't. At first, Michael thought that the same thing he sometimes had with the press was happening to his father, but no.

"Call an ambulance," Silvestre, the only first aid-trained woman in the room said. "That looks like a heart attack to me."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This is a friendly reminder that Mike will not marry Rihanna**

 **Kath is an incredibly well-written character, but from the beginning on, she and Michael had no real chemistry. I've tried a lot, but their personalities, ideals and motivations are too clashing to work together. I think that in a different setting, she'd have gone a different path down, but she just didn't fit in this setting. I'm really glad I got to write her though.**

 **Tatiana worked out really well when I got Africa, as noted before, and I still like her. I don't know much about the disorder she has; I do have a friend with it, but I would never have known if he didn't tell me, so I ended up writing her like I see that friend in relation to it. I'm not sure if I did it well at all, but it worked?**

 **Since Isadora is, essentially, out as well, I'm going to say thank you for her too!** **Similar to Kath, Isa's a very interesting character, although I think she maybe would have worked in a caste system setting better. Isadora was probably the character I enjoyed writing most of out of the six girls.**

 **Next Chapter: The Truth Untold**

 **We finally get to learn who the lover is!**


	52. The Truth Untold

**52**

 **The Truth Untold**

Michael and Rihanna did not move until a paramedic showed them out.

When they did, they ended up in Emilia's apartment in the palace, sitting together on the couch wordless and having no idea of anything. After catching Emilia up with what happened, she was just as confused as they were.

"So… did… Silvestre say that… mum had an affair, and you are her daughter?" Emilia asked.

Rihanna nodded. "I think that's what she meant at least…"

" _How do you hide a pregnancy though_?!"

"… When… when I was a little kid, like one year old, mum spent a year at the holiday estate… With Silvestre. A year. Do you think that's not a coincidence? The year between Emmy and me being born. A year. I know round about nothing with that but…"

"Still. How do you hide a pregnancy? Even like that, you'd need a doctor," Emilia added.

"Maybe her lover was one?" Rihanna suggested. "I mean, the circumstances of my existence were always fishy, but… mum wouldn't say that without a reason, would she?"

"Let's get her and ask her," Michael rose.

"Mike, dad… he… he's in hospital. With a heart attack." Emilia rose too, but not to leave. "The chance to survive that… TV does not represent it correctly. I've done research into it. For all we know, the notice of his… his… death… it might come in any minute. Operation Golden Gate Bridge might happen."

"Even better, then we should hurry and figure it out."

They didn't even need to storm Silvestre's office, because when Michael opened the door, she was already standing there.

"We need to talk," she said, and passed by the crown prince without another word. She sat down alone, knowing that the three probably wanted answers rather than apologies.

"Yeah, we definitely do," Rihanna almost laughed.

Silvestre confirmed what they just suspected. Charlotte had affairs through ought the years of the three's childhood. She had, once, loved Richard but that love had faded. Rihanna was the only child born from such affairs. Opposing abortion, Charlotte had decided to retreat into her country estate citing stress from the public exposure.

"That… Okay… What—" Rihanna shook her head. "Give me a break, I…"

The door opened, and the four recognised the official in the frame. "The King has died."

Although he continued talking, Michael glanced over to his sister. Their eyes met, and she nodded subtly. The plan they had made earlier would still happen. It wasn't going to be Michael who would become sovereign but Emilia Schreave.

* . * . *

Thousand things happened at once, but only one mattered to Michael. End this all, as soon as possible. With Rock by his side, he quietly listened to what he was meant to say. Silvestre was, visibly, worried and hectic, but Michael didn't have the heart to tell her to calm down.

As much as he knew, she'd soon drown in work.

In between learning of their father's passing and now, Emilia had left to see her father alongside Rihanna, but she knew that she'd need to come back soon. He had met Sam and filled him in. He needed him by his side now.

"Hey… Silvestre?" Michael only spoke up when they had the room for themselves. He placed Rock on the floor and rose on her eye level. "There's a change in that."

"Really? What?" Silvestre asked confused. "What's missing?"

"Not missing—it's… a big very wrong."

"What do you mean?"

How could he put it that it didn't sound like only he and his sister knew? "I will not be King. Emilia will. I'll abdicate."

"… No one ever tells me something on time."

He suppressed laughter. "Probably. Nothing's written down or anything—I doubt many even know, including Greene, but… why not announce that with father's dead too."

"It does make sense," Silvestre nodded. She fell for the lie. Good. "Then are you ready for the live recording?"

Michael shook his head. "There's one more thing. I want to add something at it. Live. Can you make sure, no matter what happens, it won't be cut off?"

"What?"

"Something. Personal."

Silvestre rose an eyebrow. "The Selection?"

Michael nodded. "Greene threatened the rights of succession. I'm abdicating them."

"Do you just want to end it or put down Greene's façade?"

"That, and something more."

Silvestre sighed. "Do… do me the favour and tell me what."

What he told her made Silvestre realise that she, indeed, would drown in work in the next weeks. "If you tell that the public, I want a raise."

Michael laughed. "Discuss that with Emmy. I'm sure Rihanna will be helpful though."

* . * . *

Press was present. People were working on the live reportage, and Michael leaned against the wall. Three people by his. Like always. Two people who were like siblings, and one that was more than just that. He leaned his head against the shoulder on his right, grabbing the hand that was trembling just as much as his own.

"We're ready," Silvestre told him.

The caring "You can do this" was the last thing Michael heard before stepping into the light of the camera flashes.

He waited for them to subside, before taking a final breath. First, mere formality. "Today, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, my father, King Richard II Schreave of Illéa, passed away as a result of a heart attack."

He paused, giving the press time to ask the questions he wouldn't answer.

"As for me, I forfeit my right to the throne. My sister, Princess Emilia Schreave of Illéa, will ascent the Illéa throne."

As they had discussed prior, with Silvestre eventually joining, Emilia joined him. Once again, the siblings, hand in hand, waited for the journalists to calm down.

"I know," Michael spoke, "that I am not fit to be King, and I never wanted to. I know that my sister," he looked to her, "will be much more adequate for that."

Emilia nodded in agreement. "And I will to my best to serve our beautiful country."

"As…" Was that all? Michael trembled. Didn't he forget something about that? His hand was sweaty. "As for the line of succession—I abdicate all rights, for me and any descents I might have."

That was all, wasn't it? It had to be. Time to touch the next topic. "As for the Selection, I need to be honest." He paused. "From the very first moment, it was nothing but a façade demanded by Prime Minister Greene who was threatening my rights to force me into it. While I was forbidden to tell the Selected, by now, many already know of that, and I am sorry for keeping up the act—I had no choice. I do have a relationship—I had before the Selection, and I never wanted to give it up. I do admit that neither my father, the prime minister nor anyone else knew of it, but that is no excuse in forcing me to do this, and lie to thirty-five young women who have better things to do with their time."

He glanced to Sam who was leaning at the wall, just within the view of the press—if they were intelligent enough to care.

"When I was sixteen years old, I was not in a good place. Having kept something secret that was vital to who I am—a core part of me—I felt like an outsider in my own life. Different. And I was told it wrong by so many people that I questioned myself more than once, wondering how I could fix it." He paused, biting on his lip. The memory of that time was _not good_. Sure, Sam had been in a worse place but… He felt Emilia's encouraging hand. "Do you remember the time I crashed tables at a club? Because of that. Because I needed somewhere to get rid of all the emotions I kept secret."

"You can do it," she seemed to say.

"When I was sixteen years old, I met Simon Stark. The nephew of Alexander Stark who was presumed dead after disappearing from his family. Until now, he has lived under a false name, Samuel Jones—derived from his childhood nickname Sam, to protect himself from his family that called him… names I will never say out loud. He was the one to tell me that loving men is not wrong." He paused. The journalists moved, probably wanting to speak up. "He has been with me ever since, and I couldn't be more glad to know him." He smiled to his boyfriend.

Emilia grabbed his hand stronger one more time. "You didn't mention him being a Stark," she whispered. Had he not? Oops.

"Sam… While I dealt with an environment in which I could still… keep it secret, when Sam told his family that he is bisexual, the condemned him. He could do and try all he could but now, it wasn't just his mother's country of origin but also that that made them see him less than a human. I've seen it with him, and I've seen it between Cecilia Stark and Katherine Rhodes." He left the conclusion up to the press. Silvestre stopped him from publically condemning the only two living Starks besides Sam.

"That would be all." He had, for a while, considered adding on Isadora's part of the story, but that was their part to tell. If she wanted to, she could—the Schreaves were willing to give her a platform if she needed to.

Questions, but Michael shook his head. "I will not be answering any questions."

He turned around, leaving the press as they had planned. He wasn't taking questions. For ll he knew, he never wanted to ever take questions again. Stopping besides Sam, he smiled a bit.

"It's over," Sam muttered.

"I'm done with it," Mike agreed with a chuckle.

* . * . *

 _A few hours ago_

"So… if I understand it correctly," Emilia slowly spoke. "On Dominica, when you made me swear you that I'd do one thing for sure—that was marry Sam, who is Simon Stark which should help to convince dad and Greene, but now is of no issue, because dad is gone and you can abdicate."

Michael nodded. "Pretty much. I didn't realise it until before, but it makes sense. Sam's a Stark. Dad _cannot_ oppose if you were to 'date' one. Even if he is half-Asian and all. Plus, we could always drop his backstory and the truth. I marry your girlfriend, you marry my boyfriend. We're both living here and hanging out together often either way—no one will notice until we figure out something better, but that doesn't matter now either way."

Emilia nodded. "Yes, because with dad being dead… you can abdicate, and then, no one can complain. What about me and Rihanna though?"

Michael shrugged. "I mean, we have uncles? If anyone is against you adopting a children or so, we have an uncle who'd edible, and has kids."

Sam leaned forward. "And that doesn't mean I need to tell people who I am."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You could have been more descriptive than texting me "I might found a way to solve this all, but I need you to tell everyone who you are", Mike."

"… Details."

"Why wait though? I mean, you could have found another way for Sam to stay around," Rihanna remarked. "Why only act when you found one?"

"Because… Sam nearly disappeared from my life when… when the stuff in Clermont happened." Michael replied. "And maybe because I hoped that the other girls might turn out helpful. Maybe one of them had an idea or so… I… I was desperate for a definitive plan."

"Tilly was your choice if it wasn't for Rihanna, wasn't she?" Sam pointed out. "You'd have told her?"

Michael nodded. "She… she kept insisting to be fine with the pressure and all, and unlike anyone else… She just didn't feel like she was bound to her life. Although, she reminded me too much of mum." Rihanna huffed. "She would have broken down in the spotlight. She's too much a sweetheart."

"Well… now I have it," Emilia chuckled. "I'll be fine." She did, either way, grab Rihanna's hand. "I'll handle the handicap too."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Operation Golden Gate Bridge is taken from Operation London Bridge because I'm uncreative. Thanks to Pringel for giving me a bridge.**

 **Next Chapter: After The Heartbreak**


	53. After The Heartbreak

**Epilogue**

 **After The Heartbreak**

For a long time, Tilly had considered not to come.

Amelia, her best friend, had freaked out when the invitation had arrived, but there was a lot in her that resented coming back down to Angeles. The brunette still loved the sun, the heat and the climate, but it reminded her of a broken heart that was taking ages to get over.

Over six months of mourning period until Queen Emilia Schreave was to be crowned. Already sovereign, this was nothing but a formal event. An invitation was worth gold, and Emilia had chosen Tilly to be among the people to come. Probably because they had gotten along well during the Selection but… that had been when Tilly had thought that Emilia could, possibly, one day be her sister-in-law.

She hadn't expected the twist that Michael had been gay all along.

The girls had kept in touch in Rihanna's Selection chat, but when she had come back to Whites, she had muted the chat. She didn't need to hear how Isadora had settled down in Angeles well, or how Rho really liked her new relative. She didn't need to hear about Kath's new job or Africa's filming adventures. She didn't need to hear about Tatiana accompanying her father to work to bridge the time until film school or Rihanna's adventures next to the new queen.

She didn't know that these two were still sorting out their newly discovered blood-relationship, but if she did, in the first months, she'd probably not cared.

When she had come back to Whites, she wanted to shut herself away, and yet, her dad had gotten her out eventually. It took him long enough though. So that was what a broken heart felt like, huh?

The coronation itself had been an impressive event, but the grudge that she ended up holding either way made her notice Emilia's balance problems even more. Was she going to have a Selection now? Little did Tilly now.

After that, selected guests had been invited to the palace. Among them were leading Illéan politician, personalities, and Tilly's friends from the Selection, with whom she was sitting right now. The only ones she had been genuinely, without the slighted bit of regret, happy to see were Rock and Flora. Sweet of them to remember here, she thought.

"How has uni been for you?" Kath asked Rho next to her. Something in Tilly wanted to complain—it had only been about one month since the year started and all, but she didn't. She had seen their worried eyes when they had seen the press conference live—all of them, well Isadora, Tatiana and Tilly, completely naïve. She had seen them pitying her, but it still made her angry.

Angry and sad.

"I'm so glad to be back," Rho admitted. "It's been sweet to help Gia with Elodie and all, but it's also been so much work."

"I'm really glad about choosing the film school in Angeles," Tate added.

"Well… One of my co-stars caught a sickness, and now it's either recast and reshoot, or wait for her to recover," Africa remembered. "So there's little for filming until that's decided. I'm glad it happened because I could come through," she added laughing.

"So am I," Isadora nodded.

"Well, my job is really fun, and I'm working with a friend from uni together. It's a bit sad that I had to move away from Dominica, but well…" Kath trailed off. "Hey, Tilly? Are you alright?"

Tilly looked up. "Oh? Of course I am!" She smiled, although it was empty. She'd smile again when she'd be back home where she belonged. "I started working in a hospital," she added. Work as nice and all—it distracted her, which probably was the best aspect of it. Mr Serious probably felt better in the weather of Whites too—she had been worried about his health in the sun but… still.

Last year, when she heard of the Selection, she had fallen in love with the dream of being a princess. Wearing tulle dresses every day, laughing in the garden with well-dressed friends and enjoy the golden state that Angeles was.

Then she had met Michael, and rather being the only danger in her dream, he turned out to be the fairy tale prince she needed. Not a bad boy but a misunderstood animal friend, even if he initially forgot who she was. Perfect—he even let her take Mr Serious.

But no, the fairy tale had to be destroyed.

Of course, Tilly was happy for Michael, but there was too much left open from the heart break. The way he had been with her, questioning whenever she'd like to be princess… It almost sounded like he had been about to ask her to be his One. But she hadn't listened correctly.

"That's great!" Tate smiled—too much. They probably _still_ were worried.

"Yeah," Tilly added with a failing smile.

She needed to get over this—that had been how her father had convinced her to come. End this chapter. She glanced over to the queen, her brother and their friends. Well, one of them was Michael's lover, a voice in Tilly's head complained.

Michael, Sam, Rihanna and Emilia were sitting together and talking. They had just spoken to the new prime minister. Right. Soon after the press conference, the parliament had voted a vote of no confidence—because further information Michael had given later revealed that he had been undermining facts from the public.

Now he was dealing with various charges—including blackmail against the former crown prince.

She had been happy—Greene had been a demon in Michael's life, but then again… She felt betrayed by Michael. Even if it made logically no sense… Tilly sighed and nipped on her glass. She really wanted to head home already. Forget this all.

"Did you hear that Silvestre is taking time off?" Isadora asked. "I was taking to Emmy the other day, and she mentioned it. She's been overworked for so long, so they gave her cruise tickets for her birthday."

Tate laughed. "She probably really deserves that."

A point that Tilly would definitely give her. "Where to?" She asked.

"New Asia? I think something like that, but I'm not sure," Isadora replied.

"Have you figured out what you want to do?" Rho asked Isadora. "When you visited Elodie last, you were still thinking, right?"

"No, not yet," Isadora shook her head. "Jason has been insisting that he's fine, but I really want to find a job though. I'm just working as shop assistant now to do something, but…"

"At a very nice boutique though," Rho pointed out. "At least that's what Rihanna said."

"Yeah, it is nice, but I'm not sure yet. I'll see what happens, really."

Kath nodded in agreement. "Which reminds though—I recently heard something interesting. There were plans for a class reunion, and—"

"You get to deal with Cecilia again?" Isadora questioned.

"Yeah, I will, but she did one thing—apologise. For the first time in ever."

"That _is_ good though," Africa nodded. "Has anyone of you heard of Mayli? If we're on the topic of people we'd rather forget?"

Everyone shook their head. Of course they did—she had completely disappeared from their life. Something in Tilly had considered contacting her again. She wanted to hear her side of the story, but her Facebook account seemed like she was content with her life. Lots of photos from uni, and with her parents. Evidently, she had gotten over what happened.

If only she could do the same. Tilly placed her glass back onto the table. Maybe she could just go and play with Rock and Flora until it was time to head back home? Probably, she couldn't. Especially not now that Michael and Rihanna were heading to them.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Isadora asked as first.

"Fine, you?" Michael responded.

"I am happy."

"And the rest of you?" Rihanna added.

Everyone told her that they were doing fine. Everyone but Tilly who just smiled. She couldn't bring herself to say more. Had she known? _How much_ of the Selection was a façade? Had she known that her ideal of being the girl that made the faked event he had to go through enjoyable and successful?

Maybe, maybe not. She hadn't looked an inch surprised when the two royals had met the remaining elite. At least Sam had the decency not to come to them _then_.

Michael and Rihanna essentially joined the conversation. They chatted about what had happened—he and Sam were apparently considering staying away from public life for a while—and that Rihanna would remain with Emilia. There seemed to be something more, but Rihanna refused to tell what exactly it was. "Not yet, at least," she'd say.

Tilly quietly shook her head. This was enough. Quietly, she rose. "Excuse me," she added, and headed out of the Great Hall. She still knew where the bathrooms were after all. She wasn't going to force herself to sit through that conversation and pretend to care. Pretend not to be still hurt.

In the bathroom, she looked into the face of a beautiful young lady who deserved a fairy tale prince. She sighed, reminding herself that Michael wasn't the prince she'd get. This wasn't her happy end—she'd find who'd be ideal for her.

"I'm going to be fine, am I not? It'll just take time."

Besides, she already had her prince charming: Mr Serious.

THE END

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Someone requested Silvestre to be in a ship—I hope the tickets for one and the implication that she will is enough?**

 **Also, props to Devil of the Sea's Jonas for figuring out that Mike was gay in the self-help group. xD Gummy and I had lots of fun with that.**

 **Now,**

 **Tilly. Well, if Mike hadn't been gay, and this hadn't been the plan the whole time, she probably would have won. In comparison to everyone else, her happy personality was really nice to write, and I still love her. It wasn't my original plan to have her slowly grow 'darker', but I think it's actually most realistic for her to grow unhappy through the story. Isa had a shot too, but Jason and Isadora were too cute together.**

 **I planned the epilogue to be give everyone a brief POV, but I ended up writing it from Tilly's POV because it felt fit. There are losers in the Selection, and it only makes sense for them to be unhappy, and with Tilly's personality, I felt like it fitted best for her to be the worst to deal with disappointment, when compared to everyone else. That, and she kinda just did that on her own.**

 **Uh, yeah, I should probably explain though.**

 **I've hinted it a few times on Discord, but this had been the plan all along (you can go back and find all the little references between Sam and Mike, especially in the earlier chapters). I'm sorry, but, so to say, every character was a red herring—the Selection was. :) There was one way you could have 'won' (well, become a princess)—by submitting a character who (also) liked girls. I had a beautiful plan for a love triangle and more background on Rihanna/Emmy which I sadly didn't get to write. T _ T**

 **I really enjoyed writing this story though, and I am glad I did it. Now, onto Fallout, I've been avoiding writing for too long.**


	54. Bonus oneshot

**Oneshot**

 **Her Happily Ever After**

To be honest, it had been a while since Isadora Bonovich was _that_ nervous. She sat here, alone in the morning while the sounds of ever busy Angeles buzzed outside. They weren't enough of a distraction, not when this out of all things was her _wedding day_.

To think that she had laughed at the idea mere five years ago.

She was still at home. Her bridesmaids (girls she had, before she had met Jason, never thought to be friends with) were still asleep after their adventurous bachelorette party the day before. To think she would end up inviting these six girls, when the Selection had been the last she wanted to do.

A soft knock echoed on the door.

"Come in."

In the door stood a sleep-drunken Tilly. The brunette nurse had only flown in from Whites this Friday (she still avoided Angeles like the pest, but quietly promised her best efforts to no one in particular) and now leaned in the door frame.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Nervous," Isa admitted. "Did you sleep well?"

Tilly shook her head. "Never. Angeles is _far_ too hot. Why did you have to have a summer wedding? Winter is barely survivable here…"

Isa laughed. "Sorry, but I like my summer. Plus, Jason's always busy at work. It ended up being easier to do it just before all of his colleagues took time off for the school holidays."

"Yeah, I know the works. I work in medicine, too," she teased. Tilly had grown in the past five years, but that somewhat childish smile remained on her face. "That reminds me, when is Rho coming in this morning? Didn't she stay with her family and Jason tonight?"

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," someone—Kath, behind Tilly—said. With all of her friends coming from all sides of Illéa, the weeding weekend was the first reunion they had in a while. "We should get ready though. The stylist will be here so."

"Always so organised," Tate from the living room where they had their great sleepover, laughed. "We can always rely on you, can't we?"

" _Someone_ needs to be the adult in the room," she teased. Isa rolled her eyes. Adulting wasn't her thing.

She did agree, though, and joined the others in preparing for her big day. Rho arrived too. As so often, Isadora had been glad to trust Africa with their styling and her choice of dress. Both bridesmaid dresses and wedding dress had been chosen together with Africa; making sure that the dress (that would certainly appear in many magazines) would fit and compliment her perfectly. Isadora couldn't help but be glad to have her as a friend. The dress, 'surprisingly calm for you, Isa' (Tate's opinion, not hers), made her feel not like a princess or queen, but the happy Isa she had become.

"You look beautiful," Tate promised her when she had changed in the dress and the stylist had finished her hair. "The lady of the hour."

"Thank you, Tate."

"Now you get to join yet another absolutely awesome family," Rho huffed.

Isadora cringed. "I think yours is still better than mine." At least her brother was coming to visit her. Nazar, not her father (god forbid) would be the one to walk her down the isle and pass her on to Jason. She smiled at the thought.

"Someone's in love," Africa teased.

"Maybe," she replied.

An hour and a half later, she stood outside the wedding venue. Guests, fans from the time of the Selection and the press waiting to catch a photo of her and her dress waited for her when the car finally arrived. Nazar waited at the venue's door step for her. A smile lit up on his face.

"My little sister is growing up," he told her as he helped her leave the car, gentle and slow because there was nothing to rush for. Nothing to hurry for. Nothing to catch. Jason would wait for her, give her all the time that he needed.

"Yes, I am," she smiled.

The doors opened, to the full hall and faces turning around to face her. Isadora took a moment to smile, when she saw Jason turn around and lit up. A tear of happiness left her eye. This was it. This was her happily ever after.

Nazar gave her a soft, little push and she headed on, past friends and family that she begrudged invited. Past her dear friends and family, towards her friends and Jason, waiting there for her. She beamed.

Her brother stopped, and turned to her, with a final smile, giving her a brief kiss on her cheek and handing her off to Jason's hand. His hand was soft and gentle, just as always. She handed her bouquet to her friends, and took his other hand.

The officiant begun speaking, "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Jason and Isadora in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife."

He spoke on, read on, but Isadora's attention did not stay with the words, but rather in the face of the one person that had chosen to choose her. When in the past, she never believed love to be worth another shot, here she was, willing to embrace a life with him together.

"Do you Jason, take Yelyzaveta Isadora Kateryna Bonovich, to be your partner in life and to share a path of life with; equal in love, embraced as a mirror for your true self, promising to honour and cherish her, through good times and bad, until death do you part?"

Jason smiled. "I do." His eyes didn't leave hers.

"And do you Isadora, take Jason Reynolds Junior, to be your partner in life and to share a path of life with; equal in love, embraced as a mirror for your true self, promising to honour and cherish him, through good times and bad, until death do you part?"

"I do." Her voice trembled with the tears in her eyes, but she meant it.

* * *

 **Dedicated to Moon. I planned to post this when it came out but I forgot, and when I updated Fallout, I remembered. Don't mind the typos, I wrote this in one hour as a stand-in.**


End file.
